ToP Facilitation TrainingICA is known globally and locally for its participatory methods for community and organizational development, the Technology of Participation (ToP)®.
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ToP training provides structured facilitation methods to help groups think, talk and work together. There is an extensive list of ToP Facilitation Methods & Advanced Courses that can meet a variety of needs. Certain courses are also certified for continuing education credits for professionals of The National Commission on Health Education Certification and the American Institute of Certified Planners.
The Technology of Participation
ICA’s Technology of Participation (ToP)® Methods are group facilitation methods that are applicable in any setting where groups need to make collective decisions or plans. Each of the different tools within the body of work have specific and intended outcomes - but overall, the methods aim to help groups come to consensus on where they are, why they are there, where they would like to be, and what they will do together to help them get to where they need to go.
ToP methods are great tools to use to help foster collaboration in decision making and action - among individuals, organizations or communities. In particular, ToP methods allow for transformative group journeys.
ToP methods are great tools to use to help foster collaboration in decision making and action - among individuals, organizations or communities. In particular, ToP methods allow for transformative group journeys.
Overall ToP Methods Allow Groups to:
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The Technology of Participation (ToP)® refers to a dialogic approach that facilitates group engagement and transformation. At their core, ToP methods represent a consensus-driven approach that enables groups to 1) engage in thoughtful and productive conversations, 2) develop a shared narrative and collective identity, 3) build common ground for working together, and 4) create effective and implementable short- and long-range plans.
Influenced by early organization development thinkers such as Kurt Lewin and his work on group change dynamics and action research as well as by existentialist philosophers such as Søren Kierkegaard, ToP methods facilitate a groups’ ability to collectively examine their experience and make meaning of it. The techniques offer a transformative path for groups to engage in new, creative ways of thinking, conversing, and acting together. This transformation emerges from its phenomenological tenets of intentional focus, radical openness, and method of inquiry (Nelson, 2017). Groups move beyond conflict and polarization towards exploration of diverse ideas and consensus. The methods are both clearly structured and deeply nuanced and are accessible to new practitioners and helpful for seasoned change agents.
ToP emerged from the Institute of Cultural Affairs’ community development work beginning in the 1950s. Since their inception, ToP methods have been continually developed, honed, and expanded through thousands of practitioners engaged in community and organization development globally. For decades, practitioners of these methods would gather for yearly ‘research assemblies, using processes such as Sharing Approaches That Work to capture best practices, innovations, and new applications of the methods. This allowed for the distillation of group facilitation methods that could be applied in almost any setting—from a corporate boardroom to a rural community.
In addition, ToP practitioners were instrumental in professionalizing the field of facilitation and in establishing institutions like the International Association of Facilitators (IAF). In over fifty countries, ToP methods have been leveraged in major international social change ventures, in United Nations and World Bank programs, and in hundreds of organizational and corporate change initiatives, as well as adopted as internal processes by government agencies and made part of the staff training systems of nonprofits.
Influenced by early organization development thinkers such as Kurt Lewin and his work on group change dynamics and action research as well as by existentialist philosophers such as Søren Kierkegaard, ToP methods facilitate a groups’ ability to collectively examine their experience and make meaning of it. The techniques offer a transformative path for groups to engage in new, creative ways of thinking, conversing, and acting together. This transformation emerges from its phenomenological tenets of intentional focus, radical openness, and method of inquiry (Nelson, 2017). Groups move beyond conflict and polarization towards exploration of diverse ideas and consensus. The methods are both clearly structured and deeply nuanced and are accessible to new practitioners and helpful for seasoned change agents.
ToP emerged from the Institute of Cultural Affairs’ community development work beginning in the 1950s. Since their inception, ToP methods have been continually developed, honed, and expanded through thousands of practitioners engaged in community and organization development globally. For decades, practitioners of these methods would gather for yearly ‘research assemblies, using processes such as Sharing Approaches That Work to capture best practices, innovations, and new applications of the methods. This allowed for the distillation of group facilitation methods that could be applied in almost any setting—from a corporate boardroom to a rural community.
In addition, ToP practitioners were instrumental in professionalizing the field of facilitation and in establishing institutions like the International Association of Facilitators (IAF). In over fifty countries, ToP methods have been leveraged in major international social change ventures, in United Nations and World Bank programs, and in hundreds of organizational and corporate change initiatives, as well as adopted as internal processes by government agencies and made part of the staff training systems of nonprofits.
What Makes ToP Tick?
ToP Methods are effective because of the underlying values and principles that guide them as well as the skill of ToP Facilitators and their neutral stance. The five principal underlying values are:
In addition to core values, the ToP methods of open inquiry lead to the assumption of individual and collective responsibility. ToP methods are imbued with the belief that all the participants have the inherent capacity to understand and respond creatively to their own situation. Facilitators assume that everyone is a source of ideas, skills, and wisdom. The facilitator receives all ideas as genuine contributions to the process, while remaining content neutral. This enables a facilitator to encourage authentic self-determination, and foster mutual respect among participants, which is one of the keys to genuine dialogue. Respectful questions reveal deeper thinking and enable people to discover their real wisdom.[1]
Finally, ToP methods focus on surfacing things that can unify a group rather than dealing with things that divide it. Instead of seeking to identify and directly address arenas of disagreement, the methods reveal where a group shares common hopes, perspectives, and objectives. ToP methods provides a common ground for moving forward; even groups that have felt “stuck” in the past often find a new sense of possibility and productivity when experiencing them.
[1] For further exploration of this topic, read Facilitator Style by Wayne Nelson on www.ica-associates.ca.
- Inclusive Participation | The methods are designed to invite and sustain the participation of all members of a group. We understand that each person holds a piece of the puzzle, and each person’s insights help to create a whole picture.
- Teamwork and Collaboration | The Technology of Participation is based on the belief that teamwork and collaboration are essential to get a task done in the most effective, efficient, and economical way—and that methods for working together should foster a genuine sense of collegiality among members of the group.
- Individual and Group Creativity | The methods intend to elicit the best of each person’s rational and intuitive capacities. By encouraging a dialogue between head and heart, people experience the magic of the whole group’s creativity breaking loose.
- Action and Ownership | The group processes need to position a group to fully own the decisions it makes and to take action based on them.
- Reflection and Learning | Time is built into every process for depth reflection and sharing. This confirms both the individual and group resolve and allows for transformation as well as a fuller appreciation of the importance of consensus and collective action.
In addition to core values, the ToP methods of open inquiry lead to the assumption of individual and collective responsibility. ToP methods are imbued with the belief that all the participants have the inherent capacity to understand and respond creatively to their own situation. Facilitators assume that everyone is a source of ideas, skills, and wisdom. The facilitator receives all ideas as genuine contributions to the process, while remaining content neutral. This enables a facilitator to encourage authentic self-determination, and foster mutual respect among participants, which is one of the keys to genuine dialogue. Respectful questions reveal deeper thinking and enable people to discover their real wisdom.[1]
Finally, ToP methods focus on surfacing things that can unify a group rather than dealing with things that divide it. Instead of seeking to identify and directly address arenas of disagreement, the methods reveal where a group shares common hopes, perspectives, and objectives. ToP methods provides a common ground for moving forward; even groups that have felt “stuck” in the past often find a new sense of possibility and productivity when experiencing them.
[1] For further exploration of this topic, read Facilitator Style by Wayne Nelson on www.ica-associates.ca.
Professional Association
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A professional association of practitioners of ICA's Technology of Participation (ToP)® methods come together to transfer excellence in ToP facilitation and training within the ToP Network.
Currently, the ToP Network consists of over 130 licensed trainers and certified facilitators who deliver facilitation services and training around the country. Through this network, members are able to engage:
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ToP Methods in Action
Peer-Sharing Community Methods via ACAN
Today, we face the reality of our planet’s shifting climate that threatens the well-being of humans and all living things. Yet the politicizing of climate change has made it a topic that many find taboo to discuss, hindering understanding and action.
Many ToP Facilitators are engaged in supporting groups and communities in acting and in fostering constructive dialogue and conversation on this issue. In order to share resources and best practices, ToP Facilitators and ICA staff collaborate. This network is known as the Accelerate Climate Action Network (ACAN).
ACAN Initiatives commonly are:
Today, we face the reality of our planet’s shifting climate that threatens the well-being of humans and all living things. Yet the politicizing of climate change has made it a topic that many find taboo to discuss, hindering understanding and action.
Many ToP Facilitators are engaged in supporting groups and communities in acting and in fostering constructive dialogue and conversation on this issue. In order to share resources and best practices, ToP Facilitators and ICA staff collaborate. This network is known as the Accelerate Climate Action Network (ACAN).
ACAN Initiatives commonly are:
- Using ToP and ICA methods
- Connecting Grassroots with Policymakers
- Using a comprehensive lens of community development
- Actions are equity based and able to be scaled up
