Seattle, WA In-Person:
October 21-22, 2026
Pacific Tower | Panorama Room | 1200 12th Ave. S
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. PDT (1-hour lunch)
Trainers: Mike Beebe & Shelby Pierce
Portland, OR In-Person:
December 15-16, 2026
Clackamas Community College | Harmony Campus | 7738 SE Harmony Road
Milwaukie, OR 97222
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. PDT (1-hour lunch)
Trainers: Mike Beebe & Judy Weddle
Course Objectives
ToP facilitation methods help groups to think, talk and work together. Learn to facilitate a conversation that leads from ideas to understanding, resulting in action. Learn and practice the core methods in this 2 or 2 1/2 day in-person or 4-part online series.
**Community Engagement Edition: ToP methods were created and refined through decades of community-based change work. This 4-day course follows the cycle of a community planning process, analysis, planning, implementation and evaluation. Participants will be an interactive learning community, learning from each other in addition to theoretical frameworks and practical tools to support authentic community engagement and community driven/led decision-making.
Prerequisites
None.
Who is this training for?
ToP provides facilitators with structured methods to guide groups, recognize and honor individual contributions, sort through mounds of data and find consensus – while minimizing conflict. ToP training is for anyone who works with groups that need high-level participation to be effective, including:
- Managers and supervisors
- Executive directors and board members
- Facilitators, trainers and consultants
- Educators and health practitioners
- Active citizens and community workers
Watch this video for a highlight of this amazing course!
Download our flyer here!
What You’ll Learn
Learn three proven ways to activate group participation. Hands-on practice helps you discover practical uses in your life and work. Participants work individually and in small groups to see the ToP Methods in action, and then have the opportunity to practice facilitating in class.
FOCUSED CONVERSATION METHOD
Learn the foundational approach that leads naturally to a meaningful exchange of ideas.
- Conduct purposeful discussions
- Capture a group’s best thinking easily
- Surface new ideas and solutions
- Stimulate candid feedback
CONSENSUS WORKSHOP METHOD
Practice the engaging, structured process that energizes people to reach consensus.
- Tap rational and intuitive thought processes
- Integrate diverse ideas
- Generate practical and creative solutions
- Develop group consensus
ACTION PLANNING PROCESS
Walk through practical steps that help groups plan, organize resources, and build commitment.
- Visualize a successful result
- Analyze the current reality
- Create a practical plan
- Maximize group involvement
What are the benefits of learning facilitation methods?
- Unproductive conflict disappears
- Groups create their own motivation
- Personal commitment becomes the norm
- Visible results appear more quickly
- Increased productivity saves time and money
Continuing Education Credits
Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) and Masters Certified Education Specialists (MCHES) earn 13,5 Continuing Education Contact Hours (CECH) for ToP Facilitation Methods recognized by the National Commission on Health Education Certification (NCHEC).
American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) members earn Certification Maintenance (CM) credits for ToP Facilitation Methods (14.5 CM).
To maintain the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) through the Project Management Institute, individuals can earn Professional Certification Units (PDU) through the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program. ToP Facilitation Methods earns 14 PDU credits.
International Coaching Federation (ICF) members earn 6 core competency hours and 9 resource development hours for ToP Facilitation Methods (for a total of 15 CCEs).
Pricing
SLIDING-SCALE FEES
- Corporate/for-profit, $1250 / $2500 Community Engagement Edition
- Public/government, $1050 / $2100 Community Engagement Edition
- Individual Professional $950 / $1900 Community Engagement Edition
- Nonprofit
- large institutions (budget > $5 million), $1250 / $2500 Community Engagement Edition
- mid-sized (budget $1-5 million), $950 / $1900 Community Engagement Edition
- small/community-based (budget <$1 million), $650 / $1300 Community Engagement Edition
- Nonprofit
- Student, $650 / $1300 Community Engagement Edition
October 21-22 | Seattle, WA
December 15-16 | Portland, OR
Note: You will be redirected to the Institute of Cultural Affairs for your registration.
Or Click Here to Find Dates & Locations Near You
Looking for In-House Training for Your Group?
You provide the space (long walls or a whiteboard to place sticky walls with painter’s tape; movable tables and chairs), the participants and the refreshments. We supply everything else! Please contact us if you wish to schedule a ToP course inside your organization.
