SURE-Fire Meetings

Transform your meetings into engaging, productive, and dynamic sessions.

It’s a universal sentiment:  all organizations need meetings and no one likes them. Typical complaints are that meetings are “boring” or “unproductive” or “a waste of time” – and often with good reason.

But what if you could transform your meetings into sessions that were engaging, purposeful and dynamic? What if people left the room feeling motivated and inspired and with clear direction about their objectives?

In this SURE-Fire Meetings course, you’ll discover how to transform your meetings into energizing and productive experiences through Dialogue Education™ (DE). DE is a learning-centered system that uses the power of dialogue to bring participants into active relationship with the content of a learning experience. These same methods transfer beautifully to the conference room by designing meetings to be more collaborative, lively, relevant, and purposeful.

"[SURE-Fire Meetings] was among one of the most safe, useful, respectful, and engaging workshops that I have ever attended." 

-Rev. Roger Willer, Ph.D.  Director of Theological Ethics

Evangelical Lutheran Church of America

Through this workshop you will:

• learn the principles and practices of DE, including the value of dialogue, safety and respect in a meeting environment
• learn how to apply the DE system in your design, facilitation and evaluation of business meetings
• turn meetings into engaging collaborations in which participants experience mutual learning and decision-making
• create opportunities for meaningful participation and engagement by all of your meeting participants
• learn how you and your colleagues can work together to make clear decisions that everyone will support
• learn techniques for evaluating the process and results of your meetings
• transform your organization’s culture with the sustainable effects of DE-based meetings: stronger unity among colleagues, enhanced dedication to a shared mission, and greater clarity of objectives and goals
• learn when a meeting isn't necessary
• be one step closer to becoming a Certified Dialogue Education Practitioner

About the course

The SURE-Fire Meetings workshop is recommended for anyone involved in organizing, designing and/or facilitating meetings.

This is offered as a two-day course, but we are happy to adapt it to shorter or longer timeframes as requested.

This course is based upon the field research and teaching of Dr. Jane Vella and the collective experience of Global Learning Partners' network of experienced associates.

By the end of the workshop, you will have:

• Explored the SURE-Fire elements of the learning-centered approach to meetings
• Identified and practiced using the three phases of meetings:  preparation, facilitation and follow-up
• Identified the steps needed to prepare for a successful meeting
• Reviewed and practiced using a meeting preparation template based on Global Learning Partners' 8 Steps of Design process
• Identified ways to make meetings more engaging for your participants
• Incorporated different styles of information-processing into your meeting design
• Reviewed ways to get input from meeting participants and planned how to use them in a meeting
• Examined various levels of decisions made in meetings and explored how to address them
• Chosen the best model of decision-making for your organization
• Rated your skills at using vital group facilitation techniques
• Reviewed and practiced methods to evaluate meetings and follow-up afterwards
• Synthesized your learning
• Predicted what learning you will transfer into your organization

SURE-Fire Meetings is also offered as a customizable, in-house course for your business, institution, or organization. We’ve taught in many languages and are happy to work with you to accommodate your language preference. Please contact us to explore the possibilities for working together.

Class size is limited due to participative, learning-centered approach.


Length: 2 days


Prerequisite:  None