Kickstart the New Year with a commitment to your personal and professional development, and enjoy a 10% discount on all of my 2026 courses by registering with the promo code JanuarySale before Saturday 31 January.
My 2026 schedule of public ICA:UK ToP facilitation training includes courses in London, Brussels and Birmingham again, and this year also in the beautiful and historic resort town of Sitges, just down the coast from Barcelona, in March and October. Why not plan to stay for the weekend, and book yourself some early spring sunshine now?
Group Facilitation Methods – introducing the foundations of the ToP approach, two powerful techniques for structuring effective conversations and building group consensus – 2 days in London, Brussels & Sitges, Barcelona
Action Planning – participatory planning for short-term projects and events – 1 day in London & Brussels
I am excited to be offering pre-conference training again this year in conjunction with the UK’s premier facilitation learning event, the IAF England & Wales annual Annual Conference Facilitate2025, held Friday 25 and Saturday 26 April in Birmingham.
Facilitate2025 is an opportunity for facilitators to come together to share, learn and develop understanding, skills and practice. Everyone interested in facilitation is welcome, whether you are brand new to this work or have been doing it for years, whether you work in-house or externally and whether you facilitate some or all of the time. As part of the 2025 programme there will be a thread on anti-racism and what this means for us as facilitators.
There will be a number of facilitation training courses being offered in the same training venue the day before the conference, at an additional cost. You can check them out and find the booking links here.
This one-day master-class is suitable for all those who want to be able to involve people more effectively in dialogue, learning, consensus & change, including team leaders and managers within organisations, those working with Boards, management teams, partnerships and external stakeholders, youth and community workers and independent facilitators. The course has no pre-requisite.
This course will introduce two foundational methods of ICA’s ‘Technology of Participation’ (ToP) methodology, and two that adapt and apply these foundations to strategic review, planning and change:
ToP Focused Conversation provides a structured, four-level process for effective communication which ensures that everyone in a group has the opportunity to participate
ToP Consensus Workshop is a five stage process that enables a facilitator to draw out and weave together everybody’s wisdom into a clear and practical consensus
ToP Historical Scan (or ‘Wall of Wonder) is a powerful tool to enable a group to share and learn from their varied perspectives of a journey through history, and in context, to review the past in order to prepare for the future
ToP Participatory Strategic Planning is a structured long-range planning process which incorporates ToP Consensus Workshop for building consensus, ToP Focused Conversation for effective group communication, and an implementation process for turning ideas into productive action and concrete accomplishments.
Register now in Eventbrite for this and other upcoming public courses in London, Brussels & elsewhere – scroll down for dates & locations.
Discounts: IAF members enjoy a special 10% discount – see Exclusive Offers for IAF Members. Conference attendees enjoy a 25% discount (IAF members and non-members).
Are you interested in taking or commissioning ToP facilitation training – but you don’t find any scheduled public courses to suit you, and you don’t have a group large enough to make an in-house course cost-effective?
I’d be happy to talk with you about scheduling a partnership course with you, at your place, wherever you are – please contact me.
If you can provide a suitable space for the training, or perhaps venue & catering and trainer accommodation as well, then you could enjoy a number of free and/or discounted places for you or your delegates. We would need only to recruit enough fee-paying trainees between us by an agreed deadline to make up the numbers and the budget to confirm the course. Depending on the location and the deadline I may be able to recruit those extra people myself, and handle online registrations and payments. If you can recruit more people yourself, from your networks, and if you can handle registrations and payments, then you could have more free or discounted places and maybe a shorter lead time as well.
If you choose one of my regularly scheduled public courses listed below, then we will be better able to confirm the course even if you can’t recruit many people yourself. If you have particular training needs and you can recruit others who share them, then we could develop and schedule a public course tailored to meet your needs.
Group Facilitation Methods – introducing the foundations of the ToP approach, two powerful techniques for structuring effective conversations and building group consensus – 2 days
Action Planning – participatory planning for short-term projects and events – 1 day
Since 2013 when I launched my own public and partnership courses under license with ICA:UK, with whom I have offered public and in-house training since 1998, I have offered dozens of such partnership courses in locations including (most often) Brussels, and Edinburgh, Geneva, Istanbul, Kiev, Moscow, Pisa and online.
I deliver in English and with simultaneous interpretation. I draw on the worldwide network of ICA International to provide ToP training materials in many languages, and to arrange for experienced local ToP trainers to deliver with me (or without me) in many languages.
I particularly welcome opportunities to deliver training within a day or two’s surface travel from London or Barcelona. If I am not tempted to fly to deliver training myself further afield, then I shall be glad to recommend an alternative experienced ToP trainer who is more local to you – see What can I do about climate change, personally and as a facilitator?
Supercharge your learning at the UK’s top facilitation event of the year
A space to grow, reflect and learn together
Register for the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) England & Wales annual conference, and supercharge your learning this year by joining our special pre-conference ICA:UK ToP facilitation masterclass with Martin Gilbraith.
Conference attendees enjoy a 25% discount, IAF members and non-members.
What is changing in the world of facilitation and workshop design?
What can 2023 teach us about the promises and challenges of 2024?
There are some fascinating insights on the practice of facilitation and the profession in this new survey report from SessionLab, not least that almost 20% of respondents report that they use ICA’s ToP facilitation methods – we wonder what the other 80% are waiting for!
This second annual report is based on the contributions of 975 facilitators around the world, and accompanied by commentary from 12 experts sharing their perspectives.
“We need to expand outreach efforts, include colleagues from various backgrounds worldwide, and create an inclusive and supportive environment for facilitators”
The current focus of ICA:UK’s International Working Group is on:
providing support for local organisations in Africa through the Village Volunteers sponsorship scheme. We have recently been able to fund training in ToP methods for Support for Community Response, and training of Climate Change Educators through the Kombuni Water Development Self-Help Group, both in Kenya.
making plans for the expansion of the Village Volunteers scheme so that we can deepen and broaden our impact in Africa. Watch this space for more detail
exploring further expansion of ToP training in Romania by identifying and working with a local partner there
Why ICA’s ‘Technology of Participation’ (ToP) facilitation training?
93% of participants rated Group Facilitation Methods 8/10 or higher
Comments from participants’ end-of-course evaluations included:
brilliant – a must-do if you want better, more effective meetings
provides two practical, easy-to-use methods to discover deep insights from diverse groups – useful tools for any group, organisation or community
benefits for experienced facilitator and novice alike
worth every penny – excellent content & great presentation
“Successful meetings are key to our internal and external successes. Many of our staff mentioned this training as a highlight in their end of year reviews – several said it was the most useful training they had ever attended.”
Eve Geddie
Find out what Group Facilitation Methods could do for you.
We currently have seven trainee trainers at various stages of the trainer’s journey, and we are keen to grow and diversify our team further – learn more and contact us.
Have you got your Sticky Wall yet?
ICA:UK Sticky Walls are a great visual tool for facilitators, group leaders and trainers. They are light, portable and can be used anywhere. Arrange and reposition ideas easily to inspire idea generation and encourage group involvement.
Register now in Eventbrite for my own upcoming public courses in London & elsewhere and see ICA:UK for additional courses offered by fellow ICA:UK Associates online and elsewhere.
Why ICA’s ‘Technology of Participation’ (ToP) facilitation training?
93% of participants rated Group Facilitation Methods 8/10 or higher
Comments from participants’ end-of-course evaluations included:
brilliant – a must-do if you want better, more effective meetings
provides two practical, easy-to-use methods to discover deep insights from diverse groups – useful tools for any group, organisation or community
benefits for experienced facilitator and novice alike
worth every penny – excellent content & great presentation
“Successful meetings are key to our internal and external successes. Many of our staff mentioned this training as a highlight in their end of year reviews – several said it was the most useful training they had ever attended.”
Eve Geddie
Find out what Group Facilitation Methods could do for you.
Focused Conversation DUBLIN, 25 January with Miriam O’DonoghueIntroducing one of the foundations of the ToP approach, a powerful technique for structuring effective conversations.
Group Facilitation Methods DUBLIN, 25-26 January with Miriam O’DonoghueIntroducing the foundations of the ToP approach, two powerful techniques for structuring effective conversations and building group consensus.
Group Facilitation Methods ONLINE, 29-31 January with Megan Evans & Dawn WilliamsIntroducing the foundations of the ToP approach, two powerful techniques for structuring effective conversations and building group consensus.
Taking ToP Methods Online, ONLINE, 15 Feb with Alan HeckmanAdapting ICA’s ToP facilitation methods for the online world.
Group Facilitation Methods LONDON, 20-21 Feb with Martin GilbraithIntroducing the foundations of the ToP approach, two powerful techniques for structuring effective conversations and building group consensus.
Action Planning LONDON, 22 Feb with Martin GilbraithParticipatory planning for short-term projects and events.
Also coming soon:
20-21 March, Group Facilitation Methods in Edinburgh – Megan Evans
ICA:UK Sticky Walls are a great visual tool for facilitators, group leaders and trainers. They are light, portable and can be used anywhere. Arrange and reposition ideas easily to inspire idea generation and encourage group involvement.
Register now in Eventbrite for my own upcoming public courses in London & elsewhere and see ICA:UK for additional courses offered by fellow ICA:UK Associates online and elsewhere.
