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The Best Communities for Trainers and Facilitators
For trainers and facilitators who want to grow their skills, share ideas, and feel a little less alone in the work.
We grow and learn best when we do it together.
That's something I really believe. And yet, training and facilitation can be a surprisingly lonely profession.
You design workshops mostly on your own. You deliver them, often without anyone to debrief with afterwards. You figure out what worked and what didn't, largely by yourself.
Good communities change that. The best ones give you back your energy, your perspective, and a pile of ideas you weren't expecting.
Over the years, I've come across three communities I love and recommend to every trainer and facilitator I meet.
Plus the one I built myself, for what I still wanted and couldn't quite find elsewhere.
Here they are.
1. L&D Shakers
A LinkedIn group and a Slack space, and Slack is where the real action happens.
Almost 5,000 people, all passionate about L&D, whether they're working in it already or transitioning into it.
It's broader than just trainers and facilitators, which has many benefits. Getting a little outside our own bubble while still staying close to learning? That perspective is always useful.
L&D Shakers was created by Anamaria Dorgo and is now facilitated by many volunteers and catalysts across the community.
What I love about it:
- An amazingly generous community culture. People share knowledge, support each other, and really show up.
- A huge range of member-led initiatives: online webinars, events, conversations, learning opportunities, free coaching options, and more. The most packed-with-learning community I know.
- A global community with local hubs in some of the bigger cities, including real-life meetups for those who want them.
How to join: join the L&D Shakers LinkedIn group first, then ask to be added to Slack. That's where it really comes alive. (it’s free)
2. SessionLab Community
A global community of around 5,000 facilitators, built around SessionLab, one of my favorite platforms for designing & managing sessions.
Even if you don't use SessionLab yet (and if you don't, it's worth a look), the community itself is a great place to learn and share best practices.
It is managed by the wonderful team at SessionLab: Carrin, James, and Deborah.
What I love about it:
- A library of tools and techniques, including workshop templates you can actually use and adapt.
- Great free webinars on diverse facilitation topics.
- A solid space to share tips, practices, and better ways of designing sessions.
How to join: Join the SessionLab Community here (it’s free)
3. Fit for Facilitation
A facilitator-focused community on Circle. Around 1,500 facilitators right now, and growing fast.
It was started by four experienced facilitators with very different styles: Nathy, Said, Alexandre, and Mehdi.
What I love about it:
- The newest and freshest of the three, with a lot of energy and momentum.
- Facilitated by four practitioners who are there to support you, not just run the space.
- Interesting monthly initiatives: question of the month, coworking calls, speed-dating, and more.
How to join: Join Fit for Facilitation here (it’s free).
Which one to join?
Honestly? All three.
They each have a different feel and serve a slightly different need.
Together they give you a wide, generous, constantly-refreshing mix of ideas, perspectives, and people.
Just be ready for a slightly overwhelming influx of inspiration. In the best possible way.
If you do join any of them, tag me (Mirna Smidt) in your intro post. I am active in all 3, and I'd love to see who's joining.
4. Trainers Conversations - the one I built myself
I love those three communities and find a lot of value in them. But I also wanted something else for myself and something to offer especially to better support alumni of my courses, in terms of community.
Something smaller.
More committed.
Where you show up to the same faces every month and actually get to know each other over time.
Where there's enough space for real, present conversations, honest feedback, and the kind of co-learning that only happens when you really trust the people in the room.
I built Trainers Conversations for what I wanted myself, and what I was still missing in all the other communities I was part of.
The idea was simple: a small, committed group of trainers and facilitators sharing one year together.
Learning from each other's distinct styles, backgrounds, and experience.
Tackling challenges together. Giving each other feedback to workshops agendas and business moves. Experimenting with new activities together & exchanging tools. Growing alongside people who understand the work.
Not a course. Not a big network. More like a really good group of trainer-friends you meet up with every month, who get what you do, and are deeply invested in each other's growth.
How it works:
- Capped at 22 members, deliberately kept small so there's room for real conversations and deeper, more personal connection.
- 12 monthly community conversations (2 hours each), where members bring real challenges, test ideas, and share what's been working
- 6 masterclasses a year on topics the group actually wants to explore.
- A year-long format, so relationships actually develop, not just surface-level exchanges.
- Everything happens online
- A carefully curated group, with applications reviewed individually to make sure the dynamic works for everyone.
What stayed with me the most after each of our Trainers Conversations meetings was the feeling of being energized by the like-minded people and all of the ideas shared between us.
A wonderful cross-cultural community for knowledge and skills exchange. Thanks to Trainers Conversations, I got inspiration for new sources of knowledge and a fresh approach to our profession.
Trainers Conversations is such a great, laid-back community with vibrant, diverse members. I really appreciate the open, relaxed structure of our meetings, and I like that our input is actively encouraged.
The 2026 cohort is already running.
The waiting list for 2027 is open now, applications open in early November, with an early bird for the first 10 spots.
Discover more and join the waiting list: trainers-toolbox.com/trainers-conversations-community
And if a year-long community isn't where you are right now, that's completely fine.
If you'd like to keep discovering new communities, tools, and better ways for trainers and facilitators to build their skills, join the Trainers Toolbox weekly newsletter.
Whether you join one of these communities or all four, I hope you find your people.
Our work is so much better when we do it together and support each other.
