We report the educator evaluation of a group-based diabetes educational experience using Conversation Maps® (CM). A qualitative analysis was conducted as part of a study comparing two education interventions (Group IDEA and Individual Education) to no education. Educators at the two study sites (Minneapolis and Albuquerque) were trained to use CMs. All educators completed a Likert scale questionnaire after each CM session with responses from 1-10 (10 being the best). An open-ended evaluation was also used to solicit opinions about the sessions. The data consisted of 48 educator evaluations. The mean Likert scores of the educational experience were compared for each site and for each of the four CM topics. All eight research team members also reviewed answers to the open-ended questions and group consensus was used to determine themes. Educator-rated Likert scores of map sessions were excellent (mean scores for Maps 1, 2, 3, 4: Overall success 8.3, 7.6, 7.7, 8.8; Ease and comfort levels in facilitation 8.9, 8.9, 9.2, 9.5; Patient motivation to self-manage 7.7, 6.9, 8, 8.8). Scores did not differ significantly across sites or between maps. Positive comments outweighed the negatives. Challenges identified were disruptive people; distracting topics raised by patients and late arrivals; variable reading levels; and not enough time to cover the content. The IDEA method was perceived positively by educators due to its ability to promote patient interaction, sharing, and meaningful discussion. However, educators need practice on handling disruptive patients, distractions, variance in literacy, and covering intended nutritional content in a group context.