Upcoming:
Two-day Dialogue Facilitation Training
29 & 30 May in Tallinn

Would you like to help people engage in dialogue? Do you want to learn how to facilitate a dialogue that allows you to discuss fundamental questions and difficult issues? Would you like to learn how to organise and lead a dialogue? Then we invite you to participate in this two-day training on facilitating dialogue.
During two days you will developing your basic skills to organise and facilitate group dialogues. With these skills you can contribute to a more open and interactive culture of communication and participation in Estonia. You will also help building trust among people and in organisations, by creating safe settings for conversation.
Group dialogue is a conversation format that empowers participation to discuss complex issues, without having to take standpoints. A dialogue is a form of collective and creative thinking about subjects that concern all participants. Dialogues allow people to talk about these issues, both from a personal and from a conceptual perspective.
Focus of the training:
- Understand the basics of dialogue as an inclusive and interactive conversation format
- Learn how to prepare an safe and welcoming group dialogue
- Learn practical skills for facilitating group dialogue
Aspects which are included:
- The benefits of dialogue for individuals, communities and organisations.
- Key differences between dialogue, discussion and debate.
- Different types of dialogue: small group, medium group & public dialogue.
- Facilitating a dialogue from start to finish and working with conversation rules. – Invite everyone to speak and build a constructive conversation.
- Help groups to talk about difficult or sensitive issues.
Training results:
After this training you will be able to start facilitating dialogues: you understand the basic structures you can use; you know how to support and guide people in dialogue; you master a set of basic facilitation tools.
Practicalities:
- Thursday 29 & Friday 30 May 2025 (English language, non profit target group)
- Hand-out is included
- Sõna training room, Telliskivi 60a, Tallinn, 4th floor
- Tea, coffee & lunch is included
- With intake form to briefly explain personal learning goals
- 245 € per person (no VAT calculated)
- The minimum number of participants for this training is 7, maximum is 12.
Trainer:

Bart Cosijn is a trainer, teacher and facilitator. He is the founder and CEO of the Estonian Dialogue Academy. He has been training facilitation and moderation skills since 2011. He has given facilitation trainings for cultural institutes, universities, journalistic outlets and public organisations. As a trainer Bart worked in Europe, the US and Japan.
In 2019 he published the booklet ‘On the Art of Moderating’. He is a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines, writing about the importance of dialogue, empathic leadership, and deliberative democracy. Before moving to Estonia, Bart worked for 15 years in the Netherlands and abroad as a participation specialist, facilitator and moderator.