New Facilitator Onboarding Playbook

A 30-60-90 day plan that takes a new trainer from watching, to co-facilitating, to delivering sessions on their own with confidence.

Who it is for

• Training managers and HR professionals onboarding a new trainer or adding a facilitator to the team.

• Small-business owners handing the training they have always done themselves to an employee for the first time.

• Managers and shift leads preparing a coworker to train new hires.

• Field supervisors coaching crew leads to run safety talks and on-site training.

• New facilitators who want a clear plan for their own first 90 days.

The problem it solves

Most new trainers are handed a slide deck and a date. They learn by struggling in front of real groups, and those groups get a weaker session. Mentors want to help but have no structure: no plan for when to step back, no way to give specific feedback, and no clear point at which the new trainer is ready. This playbook gives everyone the same plan, the same forms and an evidence-based sign-off, so the new trainer becomes good faster and every group gets a well-run session.

What is inside

The guide (PDF, 30 pages)

• Start here: who it is for, the plan in brief, the order to work in (2 pages)

• 1. How this playbook works: three stages, plain-language terms, roles, adjusting the timeline for part-time or experienced trainers (3 pages)

• 2. Before day one: the mentor's checklist, choosing the first sessions, the first-week agenda (2 pages)

• 3. Stage 1, Observe (days 1 to 30): how to observe well, learning the content, the teach-back, the day-30 checkpoint (3 pages)

• 4. Stage 2, Co-facilitate (days 31 to 60): the responsibility ladder, planning shared sessions, how the mentor steps in, feedback after every session (2 pages)

• 5. Stage 3, Deliver solo (days 61 to 90): the solo sequence, self-review, online delivery (2 pages)

• 6. The facilitation skills checklist: ten skill areas written as observable behaviors, and how to rate them (2 pages)

• 7. Observation and feedback: both forms explained, writing useful feedback, the feedback conversation (2 pages)

• 8. Prep routines: two weeks before to the last minute, rehearsing well, managing nerves (2 pages)

• 9. Handling tough moments: principles, plus what to do and say for common situations in the room and online (3 pages)

• 10. Sign-off: the evidence, the standard, the conversation and what comes after (2 pages)

• 11. Three businesses, three plans: a hardware store chain, an accounting firm and a home care agency (2 pages)

• 12. Common mistakes and FAQ (2 pages)

Editable Word templates (19 pages)

• 30-60-90 plan

• Facilitation skills checklist

• Observation form

• Feedback form

• Session prep routine

• Tough moments planner

• Reflection log

• Checkpoint conversation guide (days 30, 60 and 90)

• Sign-off record

Filled-in examples (Word, 14 pages)

• Every template completed once for one new facilitator at an accounting firm, from the first observation to sign-off.

How to use it

1. The mentor and manager read Chapters 1 and 2, then fill in the 30-60-90 plan.

2. The new facilitator reads Chapters 1, 3 and 8 in the first week.

3. Use the observation form in month one and the feedback form from month two.

4. Rate the skills checklist at days 30, 60 and 90, and move forward on evidence, not the calendar.

5. Complete the sign-off record at the day-90 conversation.

Formats and file types

• PDF guide (30 pages, US Letter, print-ready)

• Microsoft Word templates (.docx, 19 pages, nine templates)

• Microsoft Word filled-in examples (.docx, 14 pages)

• Licensed for use within your organization.

Frequently asked questions