For public courses, please register with ICA:UK or another ICA worldwide.  To arrange an in-house course for your group, please contact me. For other courses, see ToP facilitation training.

Introducing the role of the facilitator and the ToP approach, plus some key tips & tools – 3-6 hours in person or 2-2.5 hours online

“Martin trained the Chairs of the CENTR Working Groups on facilitation. The training was tailored to the needs of the trainees and was an excellent opportunity for our Chairs to explore the role of a facilitator and their own role(s) as Chairs. It provided them with valuable tools and techniques to make agenda-setting more efficient and meeting facilitation more effective – some have already been able to successfully implement what they learned. It was a pleasure to observe Martin lead the Chairs through a lot of content in a very light and involving way. I would recommend Martin to anyone who is looking for an engaged trainer and thorough listener.”

Nina Elzer, Policy Advisor at CENTR

Who this course is for

The course is for all those who want to be able to engage people more effectively and inclusively, including team leaders and managers within organisations and those working with Boards and management teams, committees, partnerships and external stakeholders. It is recommended to newcomers to facilitation.

The course draws on elements of standard ICA:UK ‘ToP’ courses including Meetings That Work and Group Facilitation Methods.

Questions this course answers

“What does a facilitator do, really? How can I best craft questions, and select and apply methods & tools, to support diverse groups to achieve their aims together? How can I respond to difficult behaviour, and what else do I need to take into account in order to make meetings engaging, inclusive and effective?”

What you will gain

By the end of the course, you will

• have explored the role of the facilitator, and how it relates to other group leadership roles such as trainer, manager & chair
• have experienced and explored a few key tools & techniques of facilitation, including the ToP Focused Conversation method, and how they might be applied in your context; and be aware of some others and how to learn more
• have considered key facilitation skills and competencies, and opportunities for further personal development
• have learned from your own and each other’s experience, and have generated & shared ideas to make your groups more engaging, inclusive and productive.

Learning style

The training will be participatory and experiential. The facilitation role, tools and skills will be demonstrated and experienced in practice, and then explored in theory with an opportunity to address questions.

Slides shared during the session will be made available for future reference.

See also about me, how I work and recommendations & case studies, and please contact me about how we might work together.