empowers educators and facilitators to cultivate meaningful engagement and build resilient communities. Her interactive workshops and ongoing professional support have inspired practitioners and strengthened organizations around the world. 
“I loved the entire workshop. From the gentle way it began, to the time to talk through ideas with smart, thoughtful people, to Jen’s strategies and helpful ways of bringing it back to philosophical teachings and education research — it was such a great day.”
Create a Custom Workshop for Your Organization
“I loved the entire workshop. From the gentle way it began, to the time to talk through ideas with smart, thoughtful people, to Jen’s strategies and helpful ways of bringing it back to philosophical teachings and education research — it was such a great day.”
Jane Smith, Chicago School District”
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Jane Smith, Chicago School District

to Design a Custom Professional Development Workshop or Community Building Experience for Your Organization

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS & PROGRAMS

give educators, facilitators, and leaders the practical skills and adaptable tools required to harness experiential engagement and reflection as a catalyst for growth, connection, and meaningful change.
Whether you’re looking to enhance participant involvement, strengthen relationships, or increase your impact as a leader, you’ll leave with the strategies and confidence you need to create experiences that truly engage and transform. Explore upcoming workshops or invite Jen to create a custom professional development plan to support your organization’s goals.
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Jen leading workshop participants in Dearborn, Michigan in 2024

RESPONSIVE FACILITATION

Community Building supports teams and organizations in developing an increased capacity for comfort, respect, and trust to promote positive group norms, constructive cross-departmental and cross-generational communication, and collaborative problem solving. Jen’s interactive, introvert-friendly community building experiences meet the differing needs and personalities of all participants so that everyone in the room can build confidence, rapport, and comfort with group processes. Invite Jen to bring your team together in purposeful conversation and reflection to create a shared vision.
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Community building workshop in…

Author, educator & facilitator Jen Stanchfield empowers practitioners worldwide with innovative workshops and books that blend the art of teaching and facilitation with the latest neuroscience. With over three decades of diverse experience as an educator and facilitator, Jen integrates her collaborative, welcoming approach with practical tools and techniques. Her teachings have inspired educators and facilitators across generations to cultivate meaningful reflection and build resilient communities.

As a facilitator Jen is dedicated to creating participant-centered, collaborative, engaging programs shaped by the latest neuroscience research. Her intentionally designed and carefully sequenced programs model a responsive approach that honors and draws on the strengths of everyone in the room, regardless of their comfort level in group settings.
Jen’s work has been informed by more than three decades as a community builder, experiential educator and facilitator, mental health professional, and trainer; she is the author of several books on experiential facilitation and is the founder of Experiential Tools.

 

Organizations I’ve Worked With (click for full list)

"Jen's workshops are just like her: fun, interesting, inspirational and so helpful! Jen's combined experience in the experiential education field and in education makes her presentations relevant and immediately applicable in our classrooms and groups. We bring her to our district whenever we can."
Mary Beer
Milwaukee Public Schools
"One of the best professional learning experiences I have attended. I loved the interactive and participatory nature, learning from one another, and the fluidity of the day. I appreciated how welcoming Jen was and how she responded to the needs of the group."
Counselor
Chicago Public Schools
"Jen is a thoughtful, generous person who likes to have fun while learning. One of the things I enjoy most about Jen is the pace she has with learners. She allows time for processing and application. She does not rush her learners and is willing to slow down when needed. It always feels tailored to what I need and want."
Marci Moloney
Livingston Educational Service Agency, Michigan
"I've already started incorporating some of her strategies into my classroom lessons. I can especially see these techniques being beneficial when starting a new program — such as beginning of year building classroom cohesion, promoting teamwork, or supporting problem-solving skills."
Jennifer Tanksley, LCSW
Eastside Elementary School Anderson, Indiana
"Jen’s work is compelling, creative, and creditable. She's lovely, warm, and someone you want to hang with and learn from. She created enjoyable connections during our professional learning sessions, but most importantly the strategies she shared got my students laughing, smiling, and engaging."
Educator
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"Jen is never on a stage. She learns everyone's name. She gathers information before she trains. She's invested. The value of Jen's service is the relationship she builds with each participant, and the support and follow-through she provides as a matter of course."
Stacia Bowley
Austin Independent School District and Youth Launch Austin, Texas
Some text about contacting Jen for a consultation

The short answer is, an approach based on the idea that change and growth take place when people are actively (physically, socially, intellectually, emotionally) involved in their learning rather than just being receivers of information. Want to dive in deeper?
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Join Jen at an Upcoming Workshop

Jen creates welcoming and engaging learning environments that honor and cultivate the voices of all participants. Her workshops draw on the knowledge and experience of everyone in the room as co-creative forums where participants are partners in the learning process. She weaves multiple forms of engagement, blending neuroscience principles with tangible strategies participants can integrate into their work immediately. Through interactive, evidence-informed facilitation, participants don’t just learn practical skills for engagement, reflection, and community building— they experience them.

Elevate Your Facilitation or Teaching
with Experiential, Reflection & EngagementTools

PICK-A-POSTCARD
Prompt dialogue, resolve conflict and establish norms, and inspire broader and deeper reflection with this newly expanded collection of photographs by Jen Stanchfield.
EVERYWHERE A SIGN
Capture a group’s attention and inspire meaningful reflection and conversation with these vintage and unique signs spotted on Jen Stanchfield’s travel adventures.
CONVERSATION STARTER BUTTONS
Get a group engaged and interacting with these regularly updated slogans and images to start conversations, explore perspectives, or prompt processing.
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