The session hasn't started yet, but it has already begun. The way you enter the room, the way you hold silence, the way you give the first instruction - all of this shapes what becomes possible.

Presence is the least visible facilitation skill and one of the most consequential. It is what makes a room settle. It is what allows an instruction to land, a pause to hold, and validation to mean something. Without it, even well-planned sessions can feel like they never quite arrive.

This day is about developing that capacity deliberately.

What "presence" means here. Presence is not personality. It is not about being loud, commanding, or performing confidence.

Presence is the quality that allows a facilitator to hold a space - so that participants feel the session is being led, that they are seen, and that their engagement matters. It can be quiet or bold, warm or precise, but it is always grounded. It is not about what you project. It is about what the group receives.

What you'll develop

This workshop develops your capacity to:

• establish structure that supports rather than constrains - creating order without rigidity.

• use your physical presence, voice, and positioning to signal both authority and care.

• give validation that participants actually feel - not empty praise, but genuine recognition.

• hold a group through silence, transition, and uncertainty without rushing to fill the gap.

• recognise when you are over-holding or under-holding - and adjust in the moment.

• The work is practical and embodied. Ideas are explored through doing, not just talking.

Who this day is for?
This workshop is for practitioners who want to develop their presence as a facilitator - whether you are building this capacity deliberately for the first time, or experienced and looking to examine something you do instinctively but have never quite been able to name.

You might be a facilitator who wants to understand why some sessions land immediately and others take half an hour to settle; a teacher interested in the difference between managing behaviour and genuinely holding attention; or a youth or community worker developing the quiet authority that makes voluntary engagement possible.

Facilitated by Brendon Burns, find out more about him here - Professional Theatre Coaching & Facilitator Training | Brendon Burns