WHAT WE OFFER

1. CORE TECHNOLOGY OF PARTICIPATION (ToP™) COURSES AND WORKSHOPS

GROUP FACILITATION METHODS (GFM):
A foundation course of the Institute of Cultural Affairs International(ICAI)’s ToP™ series, this is a structured introduction to the basic methods of the Technology of Participation. The course presents the foundations of the ToP ™ methodology in a practical and participatory way, demonstrating, discussing and practicing each method.

This Course comprises of:
Focused Conversation method, which
- Provides a structure for clear dialogue and reflection
- Capture the wisdom of the group
- Stimulates and provides focus in conversations
- Reach shared awareness in meetings

Consensus Workshop method, which
- Enables you to facilitate large groups
- Engages the participation of each group member
- Builds an effective team partnership
- Integrate diverse ideas
- Develops solutions

This course will help you to:
- Improve staff morale
- Use a group’s creativity to maximize productivity
- Create a sense of teamwork
- Maximize your human resources

2. APPLIED TECHNOLOGY OF PARTICIPATION (ToP™) COURSES
………build on the skills you have learned

APPLIED GROUP FACILITATION METHODS
(Group Facilitation Methods is a prerequisite for this course, and prior experience of applying ToP methods is recommended)

This course introduces a powerful, complex application of the basic Focused Conversation and Workshop methods in the ToP Action Planning method, and enables participants to more effectively apply ToP methods in their own situations.

The core component of this Course is The Action Planning Method: This is a process used to enable the successful implementation of a project. Participants learn to
- focus the group to clarify its direction in order to align its resources with its task.
- define what they want to achieve,
- evaluate their situation
- determine implementing actions
- build a timeline, and
- designate leadership roles.

This powerful Method which enables a group to rapidly pull together an effective plan, organize needed resources and mobilize individuals’ energy into action, is excellent for planning short term projects or completing projects that have stalled.

FACILITATED PLANNING
(A highly participatory planning process that leads to action and commitment)

The style required of leaders is changing. There is an undeniable trend towards direct participation and involvement in problem solving, planning and decision-making. Organisations are responding by making structural changes that place increasing levels of responsibility in the hands of teams. Managers, supervisors and leaders need the capacity to enable groups to maximize their potential for excellence and productivity.

Course Content
- Creating a shared group vision
- Identifying and dealing with obstacles to the shared vision
- Establish focus on new directions
- Organizing specific action plans
- Achieving maximum buy-in and commitment

Learning Outcomes
- Expanded responsibility for better results
- A “can-do” attitude imbued in your people
- Immediate implementation
- Accomplishments exceed expectations

EFFECTIVE MEETING MANAGEMENT
Tools for leading great meetings
Tired of meetings that go nowhere, dead-end conversations, chaotic planning sessions? Turn meetings from boring routines into energy and creative generators. Reduce the need for useless meetings by employing those tools that professional facilitators use all the time to make sure meetings are productive, memorable, quick, and with diminished frustration. No gimmicks, this Course is about solid effective meeting management.

This Course is designed for the person who needs tools to enhance participation and productivity in teams and meetings. Tools to:
- increase the productivity of the group
- Aid the group in decision-making processes
- Handle difficult situations in groups
- Help you communicate better in groups
- Help you to construct good, meaningful questions
- Design effective meetings
- Develop a sense of teamwork among team members

TEAM LEADERSHIP: Tools & Methods For Creating Strong, Effective Leaders
(Group Facilitation Methods training is recommended but not a pre-requisite)

In every organization, people talk about ‘teamwork’. Many organizations are actually experimenting with ‘self-directed teams’. Success or failure with teamwork depends to a large extent on the level of commitment to participation and the methods and tools to make it happen.

This Course is for team leaders who are committed to participation in deciding tasks and implementing them. It offers tools and methods to help a team though difficult times.

Course Content
Methods that:
- Decide who really needs to be involved in a team
- Define and blend the different ideas that people bring into a new team
- Forge winning plans for action
- Nail down concrete tasks for the team
- Build and sustain momentum toward completing the plans.

ToP™ SECRETS OF IMPLEMENTATION
(Group Facilitation is a prerequisite for excellent application of the learning from this Course)
“Ideas are useless unless used. The proof of their value is only in their implementation” –Theodore Levitt

Do you or your clients have difficulty sustaining a plan once it has been initiated? Do you sometimes have difficulties staying on track or helping your clients do the same, bring new people into a team and then bring closure?

This Course gives you tools and process methods to help you and/or your clients understand change; understand how to implement a plan and how to adapt to an organization or a team’s changing purpose. This Course is about keeping plans and projects alive, relevant, doable and achievable.

We recommend that this course be taken after or in conjunction with the following Courses:
Facilitated Planning, Team Leadership and Group Facilitation. This combination of Courses will equip you to facilitate almost any planning situation in a highly participatory manner.

Course Content
- Understanding and anticipating the complexities of the implementation journey
- Initiating dynamic plans
- Sustaining momentum in plans created by the team
- Follow-up Procedures: Reviewing and repositioning projects–in-progress
- Bringing effective closure to plans and celebrating the team’s work

3. VISION, MISSION AND PHILOSOPHY WORKSHOP (OR RETREAT)
It has become evident that a lot of organisations do not have written vision and mission statements; they have been operating on assumptions. But now, some are now discovering the importance of commonly shared vision and mission statements as a powerful tool for growing staff buy-ins into the organisation’s values, philosophy and goals, and a strong connection between the organisation, their staff and even outside stakeholders.

The need to constantly review vision and mission statements has come to the front-burner in view of the constant changes in the environment, events in the various industries and the global business community.

This highly participatory workshop is designed to assist any organisation develop or re-engineer its corporate vision, mission, values, goals and philosophy through the involvement of everyone. This way, the employee’s understanding of the vision and mission make him connect the statements to his personal sense of purpose and leads to higher productivity.

Workshop Content
- Environmental Analysis
- Vision and Mission Statement Development
- Philosophy and Values Creation
- Corporate Writing
- Song, Story and Symbol Creation
- Action Planning

Learning Outcomes
Acquire skills for developing and designing Vision, Mission and Philosophy statements for your organisation

Enhance your skills to create and grow buy-ins and commitment in your employees

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