CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

"The capacity to be facilitative is the core of working effectively with others. People who are facilitative ... help colleagues work together smarter, faster and more comfortably."

Priscilla H. Wilson, The Facilitative Way

"Your training provides practical and tangible techniques for community building through group process, consensus building and communication."

Jennifer Bing, Consultant, Capiraso Bing Consulting.

"Taking this course showed me an excellent way to improve the communication process by tapping the wisdom and power of the entire group."

Fran Gallati, CEO, Berkeley Albany YMCA

ADVANCING FACILITATIVE LEADERSHIP

We offer you three ways to increase your effectiveness as a facilitative leader:

• Training
• Coaching and Consulting Assistance
• CSF Development Forums

Training

CSF partners are all trainers qualified in methods developed by the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) called the Technology of Participation (ToP®). ICA facilitation methods have been in use over forty years and continue to help businesses, community groups and government programs create positive change. These tested methods are in use in diverse organizations in 32 nations across the globe, proving their resiliency and cultural flexibility.

These facilitation methods will give you skills to

• engage all participants and maximize their contributions
• naturally lead groups to consensus and decrease conflict
• increase commitment to follow-though

Public Courses
Contact us for more information, course availability and registration: email or call 877-538-8683 (toll free).

ToP® Facilitation Methods (GFM)
If you are just beginning your journey as a facilitative leader or have decades of facilitation experience, this course will deepen your understanding of facilitative leadership and introduce three powerful methods.

New Course! Facilitation Fundamentals: Tips & Tools To Make Meetings Fun, Creative and Effective

Dates:  April 23, 2008, Oakland,  November 4, 2008, 1-5 p.m. , Cost: $165., Location: Oakland

Download the Brochure  Facilitation Fundamentals Flyer.pdf 

New Course! Dancing with Design
More effective designs for meetings and events can emerge with the benefit of a powerful design framework called Kaleidoscope Design.
Dates:  Scheduled on Demand, Cost: $165.

Making Data Dance
Discover tools to make data review come alive and engage team members in effective analysis, problem solving and decision making.

ToP®  Strategic Planning
Participatory Strategic Planning is a proven, flexible and resilient approach to strategy planning for all types and sizes of organizations. Come learn the secrets of strategy planning that have made this approach world renown.

Special value: If four enroll from the same group, you come for the price of three!

Refresher and Applications Lab
Join with others to review the key practices and tips for effective use of the focused conversation and the consensus workshop.  Bring questions and explore solutions to designing and facilitating using these methods. Limited enrollment.

March 27^th, 2008 (Oakland), Cost: $75.00.
 

NOTE:
Beginning in July, 2008,  the ToP^® Facilitation Methods course and ToP^® Strategic Planning Course fees
will be $645.00; early bird rate, $595.00.

NEW!    Graphic Facilitation ToP Style

We will be hosting artist, ToP trainer and graphic facilitator Cheryl Kartes in July for a one-day graphics lab. This course will help you with easy techniques that  add imagery and graphics to your facilitation, training, consulting or coaching.  Only One Session in 2008---July 25^th. Get it on your calendar today. Cost: $295.00.

 
Facilitating Change in Whole Systems
Tools To Analyze Trends in Organizations, Communities and Families 

Change! It's everywhere! In our families, our organizations, our companies, our communities and in society as a whole. But - - which trends will affect you and which ones will pass you by? If you're just responding to what's happening today, you may be too late! The future belongs to those who keep their eye on today while planning for tomorrow.

Benefits 

• Strengthened leadership skills. 
• Balance the cultural, economic and political components of your organization. 
• A greater ability to recognize and understand trends. 

One hour of free coaching within 6 months of the course 

Prerequisite: Group Facilitation is highly recommended, but it is not required

 Cost: $645. for the two day intensive, Scheduled on demand.

            Power of Image Shift

•  

  Community Development Intensive 

  This workshop is taught by ICA Canada staff with onsite practice of methods in a community setting. For over 35 years, ICA has been implementing its "grassroots" process in communities around the worls resulting in long-term, locally motivated change. ICA has discovered that the key to community development lies in people working together to meet changing social and economic needs of the community.

  The Community Development Intensive is a five day course which establishes the context of community development as a whole-system change. This course covers the full cycle of community based change
  Learn how to:

  • Ensure grass roots participation

  • Convert plans into visible, doable projects
    

  • Sustain cross-sectoral collaboration

  • Generate a sustainable development process
    

  Dates:Scheduled on Demand, Cost $1200. per participant
  

  New Course!     Facilitating Project Excellence 
  

  This three-day course creatively blends ToP facilitation methods and key project management tools to focus teams on the activities necessary to achieve superior results. It demonstrates defining and maintaining focus on a project’s mission, strategies and goals, while establishing clear stakeholder accountabilities. Participants in the course work in small teams, supported by networked computers and Goal Director software as they follow the project lifecycle to develop their real projects.

  The three days cover three major elements in effective project management:

  Day One: Building the Foundation – developing the project charter and project team
  
  Day Two: Working with Milestones – strategic level planning
  
  Day Three: Practicing the Process – tactical level planning and practicum on participants’ projects
  Prerequisite: None

  Dates: Scheduled on Demand

  Group Facilitation Methods (GFM) 

  This is the foundational course within the ICA's ToP® series. This course will deepen your understanding of facilitative leadership and offer new skills.

  Experience the benefits of this training:

  • Facilitate groups that are committed to next steps

  • Have more fun and ease in facilitating groups effectively

  • Make meetings more productive and efficient
    

  • Improve staff morale and teamwork

  • Focus participant energy and interests on common goals

  Learn the theory, practice and application of three flexible methods that generate group ownership of clear goals, open lines of communication and motivate people to commit to making changes.

  • The Focused Conversation Methodis a highly flexible method that provides a structure for clear communication and group reflection. It quickly captures a groups' best thinking and leads to purposeful, productive insights in meetings. This discussion tool lessens the frustration of not "being heard", increases participant satisfaction and supports greater productivity from meetings.

  • The Consensus Workshop Method integrates diverse ideas, generates practical and creative solutions and maximizes teamwork and consensus, all with minimal time and maximum output. This method helps groups address critical questions and reach consensus on ways to move forward. You can use this method with large and small groups with equal success.

  • The Action Planning Method produces a vision of success, an assessment of current reality and development of a useable plan that maximizes group members' commitment and involvement. In a short period of time, groups can organize for action, enhancing effectiveness and productivity.
    
    Dates: April 12-13, 2007, Oakland, June 5-6, 2007, South Bay, August 2-3, 2007, San Francisco, October 10-11, 2007, Oakland,  December 6-7, 2007 Oakland
    Cost: $645 (early bird - $595)

  Contact us for more information, course availability and registration: email or call 877-538-8683.

  New Course! Facilitation Fundamentals: Tips & Tools to Make Meetings Fun, Creative and Effective

  • Are you running meetings and want to know more about how to facilitate?

  • Are you spending time in endless discussion, facing frustrated participants, and scheduling the next meeting to go over the same old topic?

  • Do you want to brush up on the basics?

  Our new four hour course can help! This information-filled workshop plus 22+ page manual will address these and other questions about facilitation and provide specific tips and tools that you can use in making your meetings more effective.

  Experience the Benefits of this Training:

  • Develop new ideas for how you can enrish your role in facilitating meetings

  • Increase knowledge about a range of facilitative behaviors you can use

  • Deepen your understanding of the phases of meeting planning and how to plan agendas

  • Gain insight into dealing with the common challenges of running meetings

  This workshop includes a packet of 22 helpful handouts that amplify topics covered.                                                       There is no prerequisite for this course.

  Contact us for more information, course availability and registration: email or call 877-538-8683.

  Dancing with Design

  We frequently rely on our instincts to guide us in how to structure a meeting or process. More effective designs can emerge with the benefit of a powerful design framework called Kaleidoscope Design.

  Experience the benefits of this training:

  • Deepen your understanding of how to do meeting design and ensure high participation

  • Learn a framework to guide you in designing meetings
    

  • Discover how to apply the concept of Image Shift in meetings, fostering greater capacity for transformative change among participants and groups

  With no pre-requisite course, this half day, value-priced session is a great introduction to our approach to facilitation.

  Contact us for more information, course availability and registration; Cost: $165.00: email or call 877-538-8683.

  Making Data Dance

  The thoughtful assessment of data like budgets, customer focus groups, and employee surveys is critical to effective problem solving and decision making. Most data review is mind numbing. Discover the tools to make it come alive.

  Experience the benefits of this training:

  • Learn processes to make data review energizing and interesting

  • Gain skill in getting deeper and more meaningful insights from data

  • Apply your newly gained skills to your own facilitation data design

  The pre-requisite for this course is Group Facilitation Methods. Course fee: $165.00 (half day course)

  Contact us for more information, course availability and registration: email or call 877-538-8683.

  Participatory Strategic Planning

  Do you want to shift from reacting to thoughtful planning, from coping to creative solutions?

  Participatory Strategic Planning enables diverse organizations to create a practical vision for the future and determine the actions that will guide them to that vision. Come learn the secrets of strategy planning that have made this a globally recognized approach.

  Experience the benefits of this training:

  • Learn integrated processes that ensure participation and buy- in

  • Acquire a time-tested process to generate an inspiring, practical vision

  • Learn how to identify and deal with underlying obstacles that can block success

  • Apply new tools to develop tailored strategies

  • Go home with tools that bridge the strategic framework with implementation activity.

  If you want energy, buy-in and results from your planning, this course is a must.

  The pre-requisite for this course is Group Facilitation Methods.

  Cost: $645.00 (early bird $595.00)
  Contact us for more information, course availability and registration: email or call 877-538-8683.

  Power of Image Shift: Creative Design for Facilitation and Training
  
  One of ICA's greatest contributions to the field of organizational change is work related to shifting images. Images or 'mental models' that we hold are the basis for choosing actions and making decisions as individual and organizations. This course covers the ICA Theory of Image Shift--how images shape how we practice the art of facilitation, how our facilitation approach and design shapes groups' images; and how to design more powerful interventions (curriculum and lesson planning, facilitation design, and organizational consulting) using the ICA's Kaleidoscope Design™ methods. The Kaleidsocope Design™ and Lesson Planning methodology integrates practice in using story telling, singing, and art to unleash the full potential of the groups with which we work.
  

  Prerequisite: None

  Cost: $725. ($675. early registration) 

  Community Development Intensive
  

  This workshop is taught by ICA Canada staff with onsite practice of methods in a community setting. For over 35 years, ICA has been implementing its "grassroots" process in communities around the worls resulting in long-term, locally motivated change. ICA has discovered that the key to community development lies in people working together to meet changing social and economic needs of the community.

  The Community Development Intensive is a five day course which establishes the context of community development as a whole-system change. This course covers the full cycle of community based change

  Learn how to:

  • Ensure grass roots participation

  • Convert plans into visible, doable projects

  • Sustain cross-sectoral collaboration

  • Generate a sustainable development process
    

  Dates: Scheduled on Demand, Cost $1200. per participant

   

  Facilitating Project Excellence (FPE)

  This three-day course creatively blends ToP® facilitation methods and key project management tools to focus teams on the activities necessary to achieve superior results. It demonstrates defining and maintaining focus on a project’s mission, strategies and goals, while establishing clear stakeholder accountabilities. Participants in the course work in small teams, supported by networked computers and Goal Director™ software as they follow the project lifecycle to develop their real projects.

  The three days cover three major elements in effective project management:
  
  Day One: Building the Foundation – developing the project charter and project team

  Day Two: Working with Milestones – strategic level planning
  
  Day Three: Practicing the Process – tactical level planning and practicum on participants’ projects

  Who should take this course?

  Facilitative leaders who manage projects or project teams; internal or external consultants who help clients develop and manage projects; and facilitators of strategic planning, organizational improvement initiatives, campaigns, programs and retreats. Benefits include:

  • Teams generate greater understanding and ownership of project

  • Strategic planning strengthened through project implementation

  • Expanded capacity from facilitation and computer technology linkage

  • Common planning and controlling problems and pitfalls avoided

  • Effective sharing of essential project information and progress reporting

  • Introduction to critical project management tools and a valuable software resource

  Prerequisite: None

   

  Dates: Scheduled on Demand

   

  _{New In California ! Facilitating Change in Whole Systems
  Tools To Analyze Trends in Organizations, Communities and Families}  

  _{ChChange! It's everywhere! In our families, our organizations, our companies, our communities and in society as a whole. But - - which trends will affect you and which ones will pass you by? If you're just responding to what's happening today, you may be too late! The future belongs to those who keep their eye on today while planning for tomorrow.} 

  _{This course will give you:} 

  Tools for grounded, realistic decision making  Reality-based visioning and scenario planning

  A holistic approach to developing your organization   Tools to be a stronger, more affirmative leader

  _{Your understanding of how to work with societal change will be placed on a firm foundation with new skills and insights. Included in your manual is one of the most sophisticated, powerful and comprehensive social analysis systems available today.}Course Agenda:

   

  Facilitating Change in Whole Systems
  Day One	Day Two
  Session One Discovering Societal Dynamics   Social Change - a conversation on how society changes   Introducing the "Social Process Triangles" - an analytical tool   News analysis - using the "Social Process Triangles"	Session Three Determining Social Imbalances   Political Change - a conversation on how the political dynamics in society change   Imbalanced social dynamics   Determining the processes that are "dominant"   Determining the processes that are "allies" to the dominant processes   Determining the processes that are "collapsed
  Session Two Societal Dynamics in the Family and the Workplace   Economic Change - a conversation on how the economic dynamics in society change   Dynamical tension in society   Analyzing the family using the "Social Process Triangles"   Analyzing the Workplace using the "Social Process Triangles"	Session Four Analyzing Social Trends   Cultural Change - a conversation on how the cultural dynamics in society change   Using the "Social Process Triangles" to discover emerging social trends   Value screens   Identifying key "leverage points"

  _Benefits 

  • _{Strengthened leadership skills.} 
  • _{Balance the cultural, economic and political components of your organization.} 
  • _{A greater ability to recognize and understand trends.}  

  _{One hour of free coaching within 6 months of the course} 

  _{Prerequisite: Group Facilitation is highly recommended, but it is not required}

  _{Cost: $645. for the two day intensive, February 27-28, 2007, Oakland}

   

Making a difference to communities and organizations through facilitation, training and consulting.

• [About us]
• [Clients]
• [Services for Individuals]
• [Services for Organizations]
• [Calendar]
• [Additional Resources]

©2005-2006 Center for Strategic Facilitation. All rights reserved.