Courses · ToP® facilitation training
Run meetings and plans people actually follow through on.
Learn the same methods I use with planning clients, so your own people can lead meetings and planning without an outside facilitator. You don’t need to be a facilitator to start.
Upcoming public courses
Find a date that works for you.
Registration opens on top-training.net, run by the Institute of Cultural Affairs, the national home of ToP training. You’ll get your confirmation and course details from them.
Nothing that fits? Bring a course to your team, or tell me what you’re looking for.
Find your starting point
Each course adds one capability, from one good meeting to a plan that lasts.
Start here · 2 days
Facilitation Methods
Lead one meeting that ends in a decision. The foundation for everything else.
After TFM or FC · 1 day
Environmental Scanning
Get everyone clear on where things really stand before you plan.
After TFM · 2 days
Strategic Planning
Lead a whole planning process, from shared vision to owners and dates.
After TFM or FC · 2 days
Secrets of Implementation
Keep a plan moving through the long middle, when most plans stall.
Not ready for two days? ToP® Focused Conversation (FC) is a one-day start: one method you can use at your next meeting, and a doorway to TFM, AES and TSI. See FC →
Want a professional credential? TFM and TSP are the two core courses toward the Certified ToP® Facilitator (CTF) credential, which you can put after your name.
Every course includes
The official manual
Methods, templates and examples you’ll use for years.
An hour of coaching
With your trainer, within 90 days, on a real meeting or plan.
A community of practice
Quarterly gatherings with practitioners across the region.
Continuing education
CHES/MCHES, AICP, ICF and PDU. Hours differ by course.
Professional development
Getting your organization to invest
Most participants are sent by their employer. Each course page lists the price and CE hours, and the request letter puts everything your supervisor needs into one email.
Five or more people?
Bring a course to your team
Any course can run at your site or online, adapted to your meetings, your space and your schedule. Tell me the course, how many people and roughly when.
What participants say
“It gave me practical tools to help teams think clearly, make decisions collaboratively, and move into action with shared commitment.”
Raji Timmaraju · ToP Facilitation Methods participant
“If you want to approach team meetings, difficult conversations, even family dinners with a greater confidence, intentionality, and focus you need to attend a ToP Training.”
Kyle Dellevoet · Military chaplain, ToP Facilitation Methods participant
Questions people ask
Do I need facilitation experience?
No. TFM is built for people who lead meetings, not professional facilitators.
Are courses in person or online?
Public courses are in person. Private team training can be in person or online.
What if I can’t attend both days?
The days build on each other, so you need both. If your plans change, let us know as early as you can. Cancellations and transfers follow ICA’s registration terms on top-training.net.
Who teaches?
Charity Adams, Certified ToP® Facilitator and ToP® Mentor Trainer, and colleagues from Great Plains ToP.