Welcome to week 5—and the final week—of my Go-To Resources series 🎉
Over the past month, I’ve shared:
📚 10 Brilliant Books for Bolder Live Sessions
🧰 10 Free Toolkits I Can’t Live Without
🎙️ My 10 Favourite Facilitation Podcasts
🎥 10 YouTube Videos to Level Up Your Live Sessions
This week, we’re opening up the AI toolbox to see which tools can genuinely help before, during, and after your training:
🤖 10 AI-Powered Tools for Trainers
Because apparently, the internet felt we needed even more advice about AI. 😅
But before we dive in, I have a quick question for you (there’s no “right” answer):
How confident do you feel using AI-powered tools to support your training?
- 🔥 Really high—I use them all the time
- 🙂 I’m experimenting
- 🙈 I’m an AI avoider
A few months ago, I was firmly in the AI avoider camp.
My attitude was basically:
“AI may be useful for some things…but not for my training.”
Then I wrote my four-part April AI series, had some thought-provoking conversations, and started experimenting for myself.
It’s conversations with smart people like Spud Marshall, Alex Eisenchteter, Lux Narayan, and Suhit Anantula that have helped me get over my avoidance and start experimenting (thank you!🙏).
I’m still no expert.
This space moves way too quickly for that.
But I have learned one important thing:
You don’t need loads of AI tools.
The trainers getting the most from AI use a small stack of tools at specific points in their workflow:
👉 Thinking and writing
👉 Creating materials and manuals
👉 Designing visual assets
👉 Boosting in-session engagement
👉 Summarizing, analysing, and following up
And yes, there’s a whole other dimension to using AI to run your training business—but that’s a newsletter for another day. 😉
Some of the tools on the list below are part of my regular toolkit.
Some I’m still testing. And some are firmly on my “keep an eye on this” list.
Wherever you are with AI, I hope this edition gives you a few fresh ideas for saving time and designing stronger sessions—without worrying about AI workshop slop.
You know the kind: bland, AI-generated activities that sound fine on paper but fall flat in a real room.
One final principle has helped me enormously: Alex Eisenchteter’s AI Sandwich.
🥪 Start with the human: your ideas, experience, drafts, and judgement
🤖 Brainstorm and build with AI
🥪 End with the human: refine, challenge, and make it yours
Human in. AI in the middle. Human out.
Let’s dive in.
🤖 10 AI-Powered Tools for Trainers
PREP & DESIGN
1/ ChatGPT → https://chat.openai.com
Best for: Brainstorming, session outlines, activities, scenarios, role-plays and participant communications.
👉 Try this: Share info on your audience, topic and session goal and a draft of your favourite opening prompts. Ask it to improve or suggest new ones—then refine the best one in your own voice.
2/ Claude → https://claude.ai
Best for: Reviewing long documents, synthesizing research and turning messy notes into clear themes.
👉 Try this: Upload your session notes or source material and ask it to identify the three ideas your participants most need to understand.
(Sidenote: advice I’ve received is that you probably don’t need both ChatGPT and Claude. Test them, choose the one that works for you and run with it.)
3/ Microsoft Copilot -> https://copilot.microsoft.com
Best for: Creating and improving materials inside Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and Teams.
👉 Try this: Give Copilot an existing training document and ask it to create a first draft of your slide deck—with speaker notes.
4/ Canva Magic Studio -> https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/magic-studio/ or Gamma ->https://gamma.app
Best for: Creating slides, workbooks, handouts, visuals and other polished training materials.
👉 Try this: Turn your session outline into a first-draft presentation, then add your own examples, stories and style.
DELIVERY
5/ StreamAlive -> https://www.streamalive.com
Best for: Turning responses from Zoom, Teams or live-stream chats into visual interactions.
👉 Try this: Ask an open-ended question using Talking Tiles or Transient Thoughts. Then use the AI summary to surface common themes, opposing views and standout examples.
6/ Stormz AI ->https://stormz.ai
Best for: Collaborative brainstorming, idea generation, clustering and decision-making.
👉 Try this: Invite participants to generate ideas, then use AI to group and label them. Ask the group what the clusters reveal—and what the AI may have missed.
7/ Miro AI -> https://miro.com/
Best for: Organizing ideas and making sense of busy collaborative boards.
👉 Try this: After a brainstorm, use AI to cluster the sticky notes into themes. Let participants review, rename and rearrange the clusters rather than treating the AI’s answer as final.
8/ WiseRoomsAI ->https://wiserooms.ai
Best for: Surfacing patterns, questions and insights from live group conversations.
👉 Try this: Keep an eye on this emerging tool from facilitator Spud Marshall, designed to help you see the collective wisdom in the room as a conversation unfolds.
ANALYSIS & FOLLOW-UP
9/ Zoom AI Companion ->https://ai.zoom.us or Teams Co-pilot
Best for: Transcribing sessions, summarizing discussions and capturing decisions and action items.
👉 Try this: Turn your session summary into a short follow-up email with the group’s key insights, commitments and next steps.
10/ NotebookLM -> https://notebook.google.com/
Best for: Turning transcripts, manuals and session resources into an interactive knowledge hub.
👉 Try this: Upload your training transcript and resources, then create a tailored insight report, participant guide or audio overview your group can revisit.
👀A few more tools I’m watching:
- Replit → https://replit.com
Build simple custom tools, such as a matchmaking app that connects participants around shared interests. - Tana → https://tana.inc
Organize notes, meetings, ideas, and ongoing client work with AI support. - Whisper Flow → https://whisperflow.ai
Capture ideas through voice and speed up content creation. - Remo → https://remo.co
Create movement-based virtual spaces where participants can explore and connect more naturally. - Games for Crowds -> https://gamesforcrowds.com/games. Create interactive team competitions for events, workshops, and group activities customized with AI.
Remember: the goal isn’t to squeeze AI into every stage of your training.
Start with one task that takes too long, feels repetitive or regularly leaves you staring at a blank screen.
Then pick one tool—and run a tiny experiment.
🎤 Over to you
What’s one AI-powered tool you are excited to tinker with before your next training?
Hit reply and let me know.
🌟Become the virtual trainer organizations can’t replace
AI can help you save time. But it can’t replace the human skills that make virtual training engaging, practical, and memorable.
As AI takes on more content creation, the ability to connect, engage, adapt, and guide a group through meaningful learning will only become more valuable.
That’s why I’m launching the Live Session Magic Certificate Course🪄 for facilitators, trainers, coaches, consultants, and L&D professionals who want to design and lead standout live online learning experiences in an AI-powered world.
And I’m genuinely excited about this one.
Why? Because it brings together six years of designing and leading virtual trainings, workshops, and courses for 2000+ professionals—and updates everything I’ve learned so that you can shine in an AI-powered world.
The first founding cohort will run for four weeks starting September 1st and includes:
✅ Live, practical training based on core competencies with time to learn, practice, and get feedback
✅ Lifetime access to Live Session Magic, my video course that breaks down the secrets to leading stand-out live sessions
✅ A repeatable session-design framework road tested with 2000+ live session leaders
✅ A competency-based assessment to pinpoint your strengths and growth areas
✅ An intimate group of motivated peers to experiment and learn with
✅ Personal feedback to fast-track your development
✅ A LinkedIn-ready certificate to showcase your skills
The founding-cohort price will be US$999.
We will focus on the deeply human skills that will help future-proof your career and set you apart. (BTW, you’ll be way ahead of the curve because surprisingly few people are investing in them.)
Interested?
By filling in this short form, there’s no commitment. You’ll be the first to hear about the dates, format, and enrolment details—and you’ll have the chance to help shape the founding cohort.
💌 Thanks for reading The Quest
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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.
