ToP Participatory Strategic Planning training - Brussels

Bringing people together to create strategies for action – 2 days, in English

“An incredibly useful and applicable framework — not just for facilitators, but for anyone leading change, innovation, or transformation… the ToP Participatory Strategic Planning process. Thanks to Martin for being so clear and generous with lots of tips, and to the other participants… your perspectives made this learning journey truly meaningful and inspiring!” - Maria Elena Luccerini, Team Facilitator | Trainer | Project Manager

This course is scheduled in partnership with ICA:UK, the participation & development charity. It is scheduled back-to-back with ToP Group Facilitation Methods to allow 2 or 4 days of training at once. If you are interested in the course but do not find dates to suit you please contact me for alternatives.

Who this course is for

This course is for all those who want to be able to involve people more effectively in planning and implementing medium to long-term strategies together, including team leaders and managers within organisations, those working with Boards, management teams, partnerships and external stakeholders, youth and community workers and independent facilitators.

Group Facilitation Methods is a pre-requisite for this course, and Action Planning is recommended.

IAF members enjoy a special 10% discount - see Exclusive Offers for IAF Members.

Questions this course answers

“How can I enable my group to come to a common vision for their future? How can I help them make their vision happen by creatively addressing the root causes of the challenges that are blocking them, rather than focus simply on fire-fighting and problem-solving? How can I ensure a real sense of ownership, so that for once their plan actually happens?”

The course presents a structured long-range planning process which incorporates the ToP Consensus Workshop method for building consensus and the ToP Focused Conversation method for effective group communication, both covered in Group Facilitation Methods, and an implementation process for turning ideas into productive action and concrete accomplishments.

Those with more experience of facilitation, strategic planning or ToP facilitation may need no further support to apply the process effectively in their own situations, and for others the course serves as a powerful, experiential introduction to the process.

What you will gain

By the end of the course, you will have enhanced your capacity for creative strategy building by exploring and understanding the four stages and the flow of the Participatory Strategic Planning process, and the four associated types of thinking – visionary, contradictional, strategic and practical; be able to identify when and how to use the Participatory Strategic Planning process; have consolidated your understanding of the Consensus Workshop and Focused Conversation methods, and gained confidence to use and adapt the process.