Welcome to week 2 of our 4-week Go-To Resource series 🎉, where I’m sharing my all-time favorite resources for session design and facilitation.
Whether you’re leading team meetings, online courses, group coaching sessions, or training, I’ve got some gems that will spark fresh ideas and inspire your work with groups.
In case you missed it, last week I shared 📚10 Brilliant Brilliant Books for Bolder Live Sessions.
This week I’m excited to share 🧰 10 Free Toolkits I Can’t Live Without.
Let’s dive right in👇
Ever find yourself stuck trying to come up with just the right activity?
You need a great opener. Or a fresh energizer. Or a closing that doesn’t feel awkward.
You start searching… and 27 browser tabs later, you’ve forgotten what you were even looking for. 😅
The clock’s ticking. You need to land on a plan.
👆That’s exactly when it’s tempting to fall back on your tried-and-true activities.
And I get it—those go-tos are safe, familiar, and easy to run.
But here’s the thing👇
When we stop stretching and experimenting, our sessions can start to feel a little… stale.
And your group can feel it too (speaking from experience here!)
So a few years ago I made a promise to myself to keep things fresh.
That’s when I discovered something important:
Exceptional facilitators don’t pull ideas out of thin air.
✨They collect toolkits.✨
Not just any toolkits—the exceptional ones.
Created by seasoned facilitators who’ve poured their time and brilliance into curating what actually works.
Now I’ve got my go-to list.
These are the toolkits I turn to for everything—from client workshops and strategy sessions to my courses Live Session Magic and Breakthrough Facilitation.
I’ve spent hours sifting through exercises that spark ideas, build connection, and actually work—especially in live online spaces.
And sometimes I scroll through a few toolkits just to get inspired.
That’s what I’m sharing with you this week.
Whether you’re running workshops, webinars, team meetings, or board retreats (online, hybrid or in person) these toolkits are packed with ideas to help you:
✨ Spark creativity
✨ Build community
✨ Boost innovation
✨ And make group work a little more playful and a lot more fun
Here are 🧰 10 toolkits that I can’t live without (with my favourite tools)👇
1/ 🧈 Butter Facilitation for All GPT
Meet the future of toolkits! A curated searchable custom GPT toolkit by the incredible Butter team and community. Perfect for, well, everything!
Try 👉 The Sunset Activity (Ideation – h/t Rachel Davis)
2/ ⚙️IDEO’s Creative Tips + Tools.
Simple, powerful ideas to build creativity into your meetings and sessions. Perfect for sparking innovation and creative thinking.
Try 👉 6 Ways to Kick Off Creative Meetings (Connection)
3/ 🔧Session Lab Library of Facilitation Techniques.
Over 900 facilitation activities and methods that boost engagement, productivity, and participation. Ideal for virtual meetings and teams.
Try 👉 Fortunate Me (Creative Thinking – h/t Erica Marx)
4/ ⛏️Hyper Island Toolbox.
100 activities that cover energizers, innovation, leadership, team-building, well-being, and inclusion. You’ll find something for any kind of group here.
Try 👉 I Like, I Wish, I Wonder (Feedback)
5/ 🪛Liberating Structures Methods Menu
33 methods that tap the collective intelligence and wisdom of groups. If you don’t know LS yet – start here.
Try 👉 1-2-4-All (Engagement)
6/ 🔩Mischief Makers Facilipedia
Curated techniques to support teamwork and build stronger teams. Playful and practical.
Try 👉 Counting Game
7/ 💡Gamestorming
Hundreds of visual, creative tools for ideation, strategy, and co-creation—based on the classic book (and a new edition is on the way!).
Try 👉 How Now Wow (Idea Generation)
8/ 🌐 Atlassian Team Playbook
Built by teams, for teams—great for collaboration, team health, and creative problem-solving.
Try 👉 148 Icebreaker Questions (Connection)
9/ 🔨Changemakers x Change Virtual Toolkit.
A curated set of activities for purpose-driven groups, changemakers, and social innovators.
Try 👉 Check-in Questions (Connection)
10/ 🗜️Toolsi by Nadia Chaney
An advanced facilitation toolkit and learning hub created by one of my mentors—and one of the best facilitators I know. Great for building community, inclusion, and dialogue.
🎉 Bonus toolkit –> 🛠️Collective Impact Methods Kit
A toolkit of toolkits! 450+ tools meticulously curated and tagged by network facilitator Brendon Johnson. This is the toolkit of all toolkits!
Check out 👉 Group Agreements for Networks (Psychological safety)
Over to you 👇
What’s your go-to toolkit when your creative well is running low?
Hit reply and let me know!
And if you found this list helpful, why not forward it to a fellow facilitator or send them this link to sign up for The Quest: 👉 here. Let’s keep the fresh ideas flowing.
Coming up in our 4-week resource series:
Week 3 –> 🎙️ My Favorite Facilitation Podcasts + standout episodes
Week 4 –> 🎥 Click-Worthy YouTube Videos with Zoom hacks, studio tips, and facilitation gems.
Stay tuned!
💌 Thanks for reading The Quest
I always love hearing your feedback and suggestions. Just hit reply to share your thoughts and ideas.
If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to The Quest 👉here.
If you enjoy The Quest, I’d appreciate it if you shared it with anyone you think might like it.
Creatively yours,
Whenever you are ready there are 2 more ways I can help you:
👉Custom coaching & team training. Book a free 15-minute zero-commitment call with me to see how I can support you and your team.
👉 Live Session Design Video Course. Live Session Magic gives you a proven system for designing consistently high-quality online sessions. Join the interest list here and be the first to get access.
👉5-week Live Online Course. The Breakthrough Facilitation course gives you tools, personalized feedback, and a proven framework for designing and leading high-engagement live sessions. Join the interest list and be the first to get the next cohort dates and discounts.
