Facilitative Leadership
Free Sample Since you need to work with other people, often with different experience, expertise and responsibility, your ability to lead in a way that stimulates thinking and acting together is essential. That is what "facilitation" is all about - making things easier, effective and enjoyable! Successful facilitation depends on methods and your personal skills. Here is a great opportunity for you to experience and try out new ways of being and acting -- all with people much like yourself. The ToP™ (Technology of Participation) methods we teach are used around the world. They give you clear guidelines for designing and leading meetings, projects and other group activities. You will try them out in a small group setting. You will find them immediately applicable to your unique situation in work and life. They can support you in creating a more cooperative, enjoyable and honest work culture. In our facilitation courses you actually practice using the methods as soon as you learn them, in a supportive environment with lots of useful feedback. You leave ready to use what you have learned. These are courses that will not sit on the shelf.
Purposeful Facilitation provides you with an integrated perspective on the role, process and skills of facilitation. The two-day course focuses on your experience and practise of three fundamental participatory methods, which you can use in any facilitation situation:
The focused conversation method shows you how to ask questions that get out the real issues, involve everyone, gain focus and keep on track to reach agreements that people will act on. You will learn a four level structure for guiding (as well as thinking, designing etc.) that is helpful for many tasks and situations: moving from the discernment of external, sensory reality to subjective experience including feelings to values driven interpretations and options to finally deciding about actions and implications. The consensus workshop gives you a way to involve a small or large group in discovering the connections between their experiences and ideas that lead to creative breakthroughs and develop clear workable solutions. The five-step process can be varied to meet the special demands of time, size and composition of the group. In the action planning method you will discover how to help people develop a comprehensive project plan that they are committed to and which shows who will do what by when to reach the agreed upon outcomes by the end date.
In Strategic Thinking and Action you will learn how to use the basic ToP methods in a coordinated way that enables a group or organisation to discover their common vision, uncover the often hidden and underlying blocks to the future they want, and develop creative new approaches, building on the resources they have available, while uncovering new ones. You will use your facilitation skills throughout the course to create and lead teams through the whole process, with guidance from the instructors. You will be amazed at how much can get done in a short time and how the basic steps can be varied for different situations!
This course requires completion of the Purposeful Facilitation course, or an equivalent training in Technology of Participation (ToP) methods.
The ToP methods are internationally recognised as effective ways of ensuring that local people have an effective voice in the development of their community, for example in the UNDP and inter American development bank and the World Bank.
Several books are available which give a practical, in-depth description of the ToP methods and how to use them. Three books on using ToP with groups are:
Click here for a short description of these and other books and ordering information.
If you would like to know more, give us a call on 02 9896 3839.
You can find more information on the ICA in Australia here and on ICAs around the world through the ICA: International here.
Would you like to know how to get a hold of your finances, know where your money is going, how you are doing now and find freedom and satisfaction? Would you like to gain financial intelligence, integrity and independence? The approach to money and life we share in this course have helped thousands of people throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia over the last three decades. By learning to live consciously with money, you can get out of debt, develop savings, find a place of rich living called 'enough', explore new options in harmony with your values and find fulfilment in whatever you decide to do and aim for, now and later on.
In this course we share the clear 9-step approach created by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin in their book "Your Money or Your Life" (Penguin, ISBN…) Using it can help you bring about what is really important to you, regardless of your current financial situation: whether you have a high paying job, just making do, or are in debt, and never quite making enough. You don't have to buy anything or have special knowledge to succeed. It would be beneficial to buy and read the book beforehand, which will also be on sale on the day, $22. You only need to know primary school maths and be attentive to how you use money (earn, spend, save, invest etc.), how you look at and feel about what you do and how you can change. It is based on sound principles, and uses your own records, calculations and charts.
You can learn more about "Your Money or Your Life" from Iinancial Integrity Associates
Purposeful Facilitation
Strategic Thinking and Action
ToP Facilitation Methods
The Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA)
Facilitative Leadership
For more information on the ToP methods, click here
Purposeful Facilitation
Monday/Tuesday 17-18 May, 18-19 August or 18-19 October 2010
Click here for a brochure
Strategic Thinking and Action
Thursday/Friday 20-21 May or 21-22 October 2010
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The ToP Methodology
The ToP methods were developed through the collaboration of hundreds of people representing a variety of disciplines and experience working through The Institute of Cultural Affairs. The core concept of ToP is to provide a structured means of reflection on experience, which follows the natural process of human thought, which is shared by all people around the world regardless of culture, education or social position.
A book concerned with the personal journey of leadership is:
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The Institute of Cultural Affairs
The Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) works around the world with people from all walks of life to help bring about a world that works for everyone, in harmony with the local cultures and aspirations and nature. The ICA was created over 60 years ago to create and share ways for people to discern the challenges and meaning of their lives and world and work productively with others to realise their vision for themselves, their communities, organisations and cultures in a way that benefits all.
Your Money or Your Life
Click here for a brochure
This workshop gives you an opportunity to look at the whole of your life, take stock of where you are now and create a vision and action plan for where you want to go. You will distil your values, learnings and longings and discover what you really want and need in the context of where our community and world is going and possibly calling you. You will align the many areas of your life, such as career, relationships, money, health and personal growth. You will explore the power and direction of your Life Purpose at this time of your life. You will discern how you can best use all your gifts, skills and experiences and find support from other people and resources to bring about what you truly want for your future.
In Life Directions gives you an opportunity to discover the benefit of using the ToP planning methods to give yourself a head start on the rest of your life. You do not have to be familiar with the ToP methods in order to gain the full value of the workshop.