Becoming a confident facilitator
Essential tools and techniques to help you confidently guide collaborative sessions in any environment—as a designer in tech and beyond.
Adapted from a live presentation to the Uber Delivery Design team in January 2025, I’ve spent over a decade designing and facilitating workshops, reviews, and brainstorming with teams ranging from peers to C-level executives.
By the way, I offer 1:1 design coaching for early- and mid- career designers and those navigating their next step. Sessions are practical and hands-on, with focus areas that include:
Resume, case study, portfolio, and interview prep
Leveling up craft and strategy through critiques
Navigating startup and corporate environments as a woman of color
With over 6 years of coaching experience and a decade in the design industry, I provide grounded, practical guidance tailored to your specific goals.
Intro
You don’t have to be an expert in every topic, but knowing how to guide discussions, elevate ideas, and create an engaging space makes a facilitator invaluable. A great facilitator enables others to shine.
This guide covers practical skills for leading brainstorming sessions, design critiques, team discussions, and more. While my experience is rooted in product design, these techniques apply to any role that requires collaboration.
The four pillars of confident facilitation
Preparation – Set yourself and your participants up for success
Setting the tone – Build energy and engagement from the start
Leading the workshop* – Keep discussions focused and dynamic
Guiding conversations to outcomes – Drive clarity and next steps
*"Workshop" and "session" will be used interchangeably throughout this guide, but the tips and tactics apply to events, design reviews, critiques, and more.
1. Preparation
The best workshops feel effortless, but behind the scenes, strong preparation makes that possible. Think of it like great design—when done well, it’s nearly invisible.
Start with a clear objective. What’s the outcome you want? Whether it’s generating roadmap ideas or introducing a new concept, structure the session around that goal. If participants know what success looks like, they can engage more effectively.
Set your participants up for success by providing context in advance. Participants can feel confident joining, learning, and collaborating if you help them know what’s expected of them. When possible, send agendas, pre-reads, and any required tools in advance. A simple reminder email can boost attendance and engagement.
Give participants clear roles if they need them. If you want someone to present, let them know ahead of time. If you need folks to volunteer to co-facilitate breakout sessions, give them a heads-up so they can prepare.
Equip participants with what they need. If you expect them to brainstorm, have pens and sticky notes ready. If a presentation is required, ensure slides are preloaded or cables are accessible. Minimizing friction keeps the session flowing.
Most of all, amongst all the tools one can prepare, selecting the right tools comes down to where you’re most confident and can be most efficient. Learning a new tool to run a workshop is already double the work you need—and potentially more work for your participants. So if you can, stick with familiar tools especially ones where your participants already have access and that you’ll reuse later.
For example, during planning cycles at Uber Eats, I’ve worked with teams and leveraged tools like Trello, Google Sheets, Mural, and more. While Trello and Mural were great for generating ideas, and included a built-in timer and voting functionality, our teams rarely used it daily. It meant getting every teammate onto a new platform. It turns out, that the most efficient was to brainstorm in Google Sheets which would then allow us to easily transfer once prioritized into our tracking documentation which already existed in Sheets. All in all, leverage tools for your long-term needs, where folks spend the most time, and you’re most confident in can help take the burden of choosing tools out of the way.
2. Setting the tone
A strong start fosters engagement. Simple actions—like playing music as people join or encouraging small talk—can make the physical or virtual room feel welcoming.
Icebreakers help establish energy and participation. Setting aside dedicated time to introduce a new group of people to one another is a helpful and intentional way to build familiarity before diving into topics. In virtual settings, encourage video participation—it boosts engagement. Leading by example (having your camera on) invites others to do the same.
A few icebreaker ideas include:
