Margaret Palmer has more than 20 years of experience in the field of training development and delivery; to date, she has delivered hundreds of workshops to youth and adults representing more than 40 countries around the world and has delivered training in 15 countries and 41 U.S. states. Highlights include three years as a cross-cultural trainer for the internationally acclaimed global leadership program Up With People, roles as program development consultant, trainer and Academy Director for Leaders Challenge (now National Leadership Academy) through the Spaulding Leadership Institute in Denver, Colorado, as well as an ongoing professional relationship with the Canadian Defence Community.
Margaret holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology, Anthropology and History, a Masters degree in Leadership and Training, and has completed work towards a Masters in Security, Defence Management and Policy.
Specializing in leadership, communication, and group development with an emphasis on diverse groups, Margaret works as a trainer, facilitator and keynote speaker and has worked with educators, health care professionals, corporate staffs, non-profit organizations and government agencies, and operates Tac Form Training and Development. When training and speaking, Margaret uses an experiential and interactive approach, draws on her extensive international exposure and uses personal stories and anecdotes to complement current literature and practices.
Margaret was born and raised on the coast of British Columbia. She is a private pilot and enjoys flying, running, basketball, hiking, camping, sailing, kayaking, travelling, and spending time with family and friends. Margaret currently lives near Calgary, Alberta with her husband, Ryan, and their daughters, Kennedy and Makenna.
“When leadership is defined not as a position you hold but as a way of ‘being,’ you discover that you can lead from wherever you are.”
~ Rosamund Stone Zander
“My staff used to compete for the opportunity to attend a course facilitated by Margaret – they considered it a reward. Once they had attended one, they were eager to attend them all. I can sincerely attest that the investment of staff time on professional development focused on leadership, group dynamics and communication was worth it. It paid dividends to my organization in terms of improved workplace culture and team effectiveness.
Years ago, I engaged Margaret to support a small but extremely fragmented team of staff to improve their communication and establish a collaborative working environment – she was incredibly successful. So, when I needed a facilitator for a recent strategy discussion with my Board of Directors, Margaret was an obvious choice. My two objectives were to ensure that all Directors within the diverse group were able to contribute to the discussion and to optimize the effectiveness of the communication within the limited time available. The innovative and engaging approach Margaret used to share tips for communicating effectively created a shared experience and provided the group with common language. This served the group well during the strategy session and will help us build and maintain a culture of effective communication moving forward. Her use of graphic facilitation to provide a visual picture of the key messages that emerged in the session was also excellent.”
Tanya McLeod MHA, CHE
President, Sinneave Family Foundation