ToP® Training · TFM

ToP® Facilitation MethodsTFM

Build the skill set underneath everything else you do.

Two days. Two proven methods. A skill set that enhances every meeting you'll ever lead.

See upcoming cohorts →
Why this course

Every leader runs meetings. Most of those meetings don't reach their aims.

The difference between a meeting that produces something and a meeting that produces another meeting isn't luck — it's skilled facilitation.

ToP® Facilitation Methods is the foundational course for becoming that skilled facilitator. You'll learn two methods — the Focused Conversation Method and the Consensus Workshop Method — that form the backbone of participatory practice worldwide. These are the same methods I use with client organizations across the Great Plains and nationally.

What you'll leave able to do

Specific capabilities you'll walk out with.

Lead focused conversations that reach insight, not just opinions
The ORID method (Objective, Reflective, Interpretive, Decisional) gives you a repeatable structure for any conversation that needs to move a group from data to decision.
Design and facilitate consensus workshops
Help groups develop shared understanding and commit to action — even when they came in with very different views.
Design meetings that reach their aims
Whether the aim is alignment, problem-solving, planning, or conflict resolution — design the process to fit the outcome.
Apply these methods immediately
You'll leave the second day with methods you can use the following Monday in the meetings you're already leading.
Who this is for

If any of these describe you.

For

Leaders who run meetings that matter

  • Executive directors, program directors, senior managers
  • HR professionals leading team and culture work
  • Project managers and team coordinators
  • Board chairs and coalition conveners
For

Practitioners who facilitate as part of their work

  • Consultants and independent facilitators
  • Planners, organizational developers, community engagement leads
  • Educators, trainers, and curriculum designers
  • Anyone building a facilitation practice from scratch
The format

Two full days, in person.

Small cohort size. You'll practice both methods on real content from your own work, get feedback, and walk out the second day with methods you can use the following Monday.

No prior facilitation experience required. The course is designed to build the foundational skill set from the ground up.

What's included

Everything you need to build the skill.

Your registration covers the course itself and the support that turns it into capability that sticks.

The official ToP® Facilitation Methods manual

A comprehensive reference you'll use long after the course ends. Methods, designs, templates, and examples — all in one place.

One hour of coaching with one of your course trainers

Scheduled within 90 days of course completion. Bring a real challenge you're working on — a meeting you need to design, a group dynamic you're navigating, a planning session you're leading — and we'll work through it together.

Access to the Great Plains ToP Community of Practice

Quarterly gatherings of ToP® practitioners across the region. Keep your skills sharp, learn from others, stay connected to the work.

Credentials & CEUs

Part of the Certified ToP® Facilitator (CTF) pathway.

ToP® Facilitation Methods is the foundational course on the path to the Certified ToP® Facilitator (CTF) credential — the international professional standard for ToP® practitioners.

CHES/MCHES — 13.5 hours
AICP — 14.5 hours
ICF — 12 hours
PDU — 14 hours
In their words

From past participants.

“This training provides the framework for doing strategic planning that includes all voices from an organization — from the CEO to the boots on the ground — and values all voices equally. It's a creative, barrier-busting method.”

Jessica Seberger
Health Program Manager

“Simply amazing. Totally participatory by design without having to silence or purposely amplify the participants. It is a structured process that if followed will prove to be successful.”

Ian Johnson, MBA
Workforce Development Director & Independent Consultant
Pricing

Tiered pricing — based on organization type.

Facilitate Co uses tiered pricing, not sliding scale. Four defined brackets keep registration honest and fair to every type of org.

Corporate / Large nonprofits (>$5M)
$1,250
Public / Government
$1,050
Individual / Mid-size nonprofit
$950
Small nonprofit / Student
$650

Student rate requires a current student ID. Questions about which tier fits? Just ask: get in touch.

Register

Upcoming TFM cohorts.

August 2026
September 2026
No event found!
Or join the waitlist

Be the first to know when the next TFM cohort opens.

Cohorts fill four to six weeks before the start date. Waitlist subscribers get registration links a week before they go public.

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Because the path forward is co-created — not declared — by the people walking it.

TFM is where most ToP® practitioners start. It's also the foundation that the other three courses build on. If you're sending a team through training together, this is where to begin.

See upcoming cohorts → Talk about in-house training