Mastermind program template
A mastermind program template is the plan for a peer group of 6 to 12 members over several months: who gets in, how often you meet, who takes the Hot Seat when, and how the group stays connected between sessions. This one runs six months: 12 bi-weekly 90-minute sessions in three phases, from setting the norms to a final review of what each member set out to do.
- 0:00Check-in round15 min
- 0:15Hot Seat 140 min
- 0:55Break5 min
- 1:00Hot Seat 225 min
- 1:25Commitments round5 min
The 6-month mastermind program: three phases
Twelve sessions, one every two weeks. Every session has the same 90-minute shape with two Hot Seats, so a group of 12 gets two turns each: the first round in sessions 1 to 6, the second in sessions 7 to 12. What changes over the six months is what the group is doing: building trust, doing the deep work, then looking back. For one session in detail, with the Hot Seat steps and the rotation table, see the mastermind meeting agenda template.
- 1
Trust and norms
Members know each other and agree how the room works.
- Session 1
First session
- Member Profile & Introduction filled in beforehand
- Agree the norms: confidentiality, real challenges, time limits
- First two Hot Seats
- Commitments round
Set the tone here: members bring real challenges, not polished highlights. Ask the two most confident members to go first.
- Session 2
Second session
- Check-in on the first commitments
- Hot Seats 3 and 4
- Commitments round
Read the first session's feedback before this one. Fix what got in the way, usually timing, while the group is still forming.
- Session 1
- 2
Deep work
Every member takes the Hot Seat and acts on what the group gives them.
- Sessions 3–6
First round completes
- Hot Seats 5 to 12: every member has had one turn by session 6
- Check-ins report on the last session's commitments
- Wins posted in Wins & Shares between sessions
- Sessions 7–10
Second round
- Second turns, in a new order
- Members bring the next stage of the challenge they brought the first time, or a new one
- Check-ins keep reporting on commitments
Track who has gone. Invite the quiet members by name: they often have the most useful sessions.
- Sessions 3–6
- 3
Reflection
What each member accomplished, what changed and what's next.
- Session 11
Last Hot Seats
- The last two second-round Hot Seats
- Members fill in the six-month review before the final session
- Session 12
Commitment review
- Each member compares their goal from the Member Profile with where they are
- The group names one change it saw in each member
- Members say whether they'll join the next cohort
Renewal is the clearest sign the room worked: ask now, while the group is together.
- Session 11
Mastermind session structure: one 90-minute session
The same agenda for all 12 sessions, so members spend the time on each other's challenges, not on the format. It is the agenda the Mastermind program type puts on every session; edit it in the event to fit your group.
| Time | Block | What the facilitator does |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:15 | Check-in round15 min | Each member gives a 1-2 minute update, starting with what they did on the commitment from the last session. |
| 0:15–0:55 | Hot Seat 140 min | The full Hot Seat: presentation 10, clarifying questions 10, brainstorm and feedback 15, synthesis and commitments 5. |
| 0:55–1:00 | Break5 min | Stretch and reset. |
| 1:00–1:25 | Hot Seat 225 min | The same steps, condensed: 7, 5, 10 and 3 minutes. Swap who gets the longer Hot Seat in the next session. |
| 1:25–1:30 | Commitments round5 min | Everyone states what they'll do in the next two weeks. These are the next session's check-in. |
Three checkpoints: before, every session, at the end
A mastermind has no curriculum to test, so the checkpoints track the group instead: who members are, how each session went, and what changed over six months.
Member Profile & Introduction
- 1What's your name and what do you do?
- 2What's your background: how did you get here?
- 3What are you working on right now?
- 4What's your #1 goal for this mastermind?
- 5What's your superpower: what can you help others with?
- 6One fun fact about you
Session feedback
- 1Value: how valuable was this session for you? (1 to 5)
- 2Guidance: how helpful was the guidance you received? (1 to 5)
- 3Content: how relevant and useful was the content? (1 to 5)
- 4Engagement: how engaged did you feel in this session? (1 to 5)
- 5Anything else? (comment, can be anonymous)
Six-month review
- 1Your #1 goal from your Member Profile: where are you on it now?
- 2Which Hot Seat changed what you did, and how?
- 3Which commitment are you proudest of keeping?
- 4What did you give the group that you're glad you gave?
- 5Would you join the next cohort of this mastermind? Why or why not?
Five questions to ask every applicant
The members are the program, so who gets in is the most important decision you make. Ask these before you accept anyone, and look for commitment, how they communicate, and what they'll give, not only what they want to get.
The commitment tracker
- What I'll do in the next two weeks
- How the group will know I did it
- Done, partly done or not done
- What I learned from doing it, or what got in the way
- 1What are you working on, and what's your biggest challenge with it right now?
- 2What would you bring to a Hot Seat in the first month?
- 3What experience could you offer other members?
- 4Can you attend a 90-minute session every two weeks for six months?
- 5Tell us about a time someone gave you hard feedback. What did you do with it?
Five rules for the facilitator
Your job over six months is to curate the room and hold the structure, not to teach.
Curate before you launch
Cap the group at 6 to 12. Fewer than six limits the range of perspectives; more than twelve means some members rarely get the Hot Seat. One disengaged or dominating member changes the whole room.
Plan the rotation
With 12 sessions and two Hot Seats each, there are 24 slots. Write down who goes when, so everyone gets their turns and nobody is left until the last session.
Keep content minimal
A welcome guide, the Hot Seat format and a shared resource library are enough. Weekly lessons and homework turn a mastermind into group coaching.
Stay bi-weekly
90-minute peer sessions take energy. Every two weeks gives members time to act on their commitments and come back with real progress to report.
End with a review
Use the last sessions to look back at the goals from the Member Profile. Members leave knowing what changed, and you learn who wants to continue.
What keeps the group connected for the 14 days in between
Members act on their commitments between sessions. These keep the conversation going until the next one.
Member Directory
Everyone can see each other's backgrounds and expertise, so members reach out to each other directly.
Lounge
Quick questions, resource sharing and conversation between sessions.
Wins & Shares
Progress and breakthroughs, posted when a commitment pays off.
Members' Wall
Member spotlights and facilitator updates that keep the group warm between sessions.
Mastermind program template · upcoach.com/templates/mastermind-program-template