Great Plains ToP

ToP Facilitation Methods - Lincoln, NE
2025-03-25 08:30 - 2025-03-26 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Lincoln, NE
Sessions:
March 25 & 26, 2025: 8:30 am am – 5:00 pm CDT
Hosted in Lincoln, NE

Description
Do you struggle with circular conversation in meetings that don’t seem to go anywhere?
Are you anxious about what to do when conflict arises or someone dominates the conversation?
Do you feel like a used car salesman trying to get people to stay committed and motivated to group projects?
In this engaging course you will learn three simple, universally applicable approaches to help you confidently move any group from conflict or confusion to consensus and commitment.
Focused Conversation
A universal framework to generate meaningful, productive dialogue around any topic.

Conduct purposeful, productive meetings and discussions
Stimulate candid feedback
Surface new ideas and solutions

Consensus Workshop
Infuse a group with creative energy and bring diverse opinions and perspectives into an agreement everyone can own and support.

Tap rational and intuitive thought processes
Respectfully integrate diverse ideas into a larger whole
Generate practical and creative solutions from multiple perspectives
Minimize conflict and achieve consensus

Action Planning
Quickly plan and prepare a group project for launch, and develop shared commitment to timelines, tasks, and success measures.

Analyze the current reality and set inspiring goals
Maximize group ownership and creativity
Craft a doable plan with clear ownership, timelines and success measures

Immersive demonstrations, hands on practice, peer coaching, and real life application opportunities will ensure you leave with confidence to immediately put your new skills to use.
You’ll receive: step-by-step manual and resource guide + 1 hour of free expert coaching.
Course Applicable To:

Project and Team Leaders
Facilitators, Trainers and Consultants
Project & Change Managers
Managers and Supervisors
Executive Directors and Board Members
Educators and Health Practitioners
Active Citizens and Community Workers
Government Employees and Elected Officials
UX and Product Designers
Community organizers

Community Engagement Managers
Others who lead meetings or collaborate with groups of any kind

Prerequisites
None
Continuing Ed Credits
13.5 NCHEC (CHES & MCHES)
14.5 AICP (APA)
14 PDU (CAPM)
Pricing
$1250: Corporate & Large Nonprofits (budget > $5 million)
$1050: Public Government
$950: Individual Professional – Mid-Sized Nonprofit (budget $1-5 million)
$650: Student (student ID required) & Small Nonprofit (budget < $1 million)

(you will be directed to our sister site top-training.net to process your registration and secure payment)
Testimonials
“ToP training has been invaluable to me as an association leader! The techniques I learned have improved both my facilitation and leadership skills – I’m more able to ensure that all voices in the room are heard and also have found that I ask better questions. Even the simple but powerful framework ToP teaches for debriefing has 1,001 uses in my association work!”
–Donna Oser, CAE
Director of Leadership and Executive Search Services for the Michigan Association of School Boards
“I went in feeling insecure about my skills to lead a meeting and walked away from the experience feeling like I had started building a solid facilitation foundation. I now feel I have the confidence to lead a positive and productive meeting.”
–Meg Dethloff
United States Geological Survey/PNAMP Biologist
“This course teaches you to think outside the box, challenge yourself and others during conversations, and engage people in tough brainstorms. It will bring out new thought processes and help you realize how you can change how you have been facilitating meetings in the past.”
–Melissa Boles
Employer Services Manager at Workforce Southwest Washington

ToP Facilitation Methods, Omaha, NE
2025-05-13 08:30 - 2025-05-14 17:00 | Project Harmoy, 515 S 12th St, Omaha, NE, 68102, United States
Sessions:
May 13 & 14, 2025: 8:30 am am – 5:00 pm CDT
Omaha, NE

Description
Do you struggle with circular conversation in meetings that don’t seem to go anywhere?
Are you anxious about what to do when conflict arises or someone dominates the conversation?
Do you feel like a used car salesman trying to get people to stay committed and motivated to group projects?
In this engaging course you will learn three simple, universally applicable approaches to help you confidently move any group from conflict or confusion to consensus and commitment.
Focused Conversation
A universal framework to generate meaningful, productive dialogue around any topic.

Conduct purposeful, productive meetings and discussions
Stimulate candid feedback
Surface new ideas and solutions

Consensus Workshop
Infuse a group with creative energy and bring diverse opinions and perspectives into an agreement everyone can own and support.

Tap rational and intuitive thought processes
Respectfully integrate diverse ideas into a larger whole
Generate practical and creative solutions from multiple perspectives
Minimize conflict and achieve consensus

Action Planning
Quickly plan and prepare a group project for launch, and develop shared commitment to timelines, tasks, and success measures.

Analyze the current reality and set inspiring goals
Maximize group ownership and creativity
Craft a doable plan with clear ownership, timelines and success measures

Immersive demonstrations, hands on practice, peer coaching, and real life application opportunities will ensure you leave with confidence to immediately put your new skills to use.
You’ll receive: step-by-step manual and resource guide + 1 hour of free expert coaching.
Course Applicable To:

Project and Team Leaders
Facilitators, Trainers and Consultants
Project & Change Managers
Managers and Supervisors
Executive Directors and Board Members
Educators and Health Practitioners
Active Citizens and Community Workers
Government Employees and Elected Officials
UX and Product Designers
Community organizers

Community Engagement Managers
Others who lead meetings or collaborate with groups of any kind

Prerequisites
None
Continuing Ed Credits
13.5 NCHEC (CHES & MCHES)
14.5 AICP (APA)
14 PDU (CAPM)
Pricing
$1250: Corporate & Large Nonprofits (budget > $5 million)
$1050: Public Government
$950: Individual Professional – Mid-Sized Nonprofit (budget $1-5 million)
$650: Student (student ID required) & Small Nonprofit (budget < $1 million)

(you will be directed to our sister site top-training.net to process your registration and secure payment)
Testimonials
“ToP training has been invaluable to me as an association leader! The techniques I learned have improved both my facilitation and leadership skills – I’m more able to ensure that all voices in the room are heard and also have found that I ask better questions. Even the simple but powerful framework ToP teaches for debriefing has 1,001 uses in my association work!”
–Donna Oser, CAE
Director of Leadership and Executive Search Services for the Michigan Association of School Boards
“I went in feeling insecure about my skills to lead a meeting and walked away from the experience feeling like I had started building a solid facilitation foundation. I now feel I have the confidence to lead a positive and productive meeting.”
–Meg Dethloff
United States Geological Survey/PNAMP Biologist
“This course teaches you to think outside the box, challenge yourself and others during conversations, and engage people in tough brainstorms. It will bring out new thought processes and help you realize how you can change how you have been facilitating meetings in the past.”
–Melissa Boles
Employer Services Manager at Workforce Southwest Washington

Participatory Methods for Community Engagement, Omaha, NE
2025-06-03 08:00 - 2025-06-04 17:00 | Omaha, NE
Sessions:
September 9 & 10, 2025: 8:30 am am – 5:00 pm CDT
Kearney, NE

Description
Apply Participatory Methods for Community Engagement is a 2-day hands-on training designed to help you lead real conversations that spark real change. Building on the well-known Technology of Participation (ToP®) methods, this course teaches simple but powerful ways to bring people together, listen deeply, and create solutions.
You’ll learn tools and frameworks for authentic engagement, grassroots action, and community-based change, all rooted in an asset-based approach that lifts up the strengths and talents already in your community.
Whether you work with neighborhoods, nonprofits, government, or grassroots groups, you’ll leave with clear, practical methods you can use right away to create stronger, more connected communities. ToP Facilitation Methods is a pre-requisite for this course.
Course Applicable To:

Project and Team Leaders
Facilitators, Trainers and Consultants
Project & Change Managers
Managers and Supervisors
Executive Directors and Board Members
Educators and Health Practitioners
Active Citizens and Community Workers
Government Employees and Elected Officials
UX and Product Designers
Community organizers
Community Engagement Managers
Others who lead meetings or collaborate with groups of any kind

Prerequisites
TFM
Pricing
$1250: Corporate & Large Nonprofits (budget > $5 million)
$1050: Public Government
$950: Individual Professional – Mid-Sized Nonprofit (budget $1-5 million)
$650: Student (student ID required) & Small Nonprofit (budget < $1 million)

(you will be directed to our sister site top-training.net to process your registration and secure payment)

ToP Secrets of Implementation - Omaha, NE
2025-08-05 08:30 - 2025-08-06 17:00 | Project Harmoy, 515 S 12th St, Omaha, NE, 68102, United States
Sessions:
August 5 & 6, 2025: 8:30 am am – 5:00 pm CDT
Omaha, NE

Description

How do you keep your team committed and engaged, bring new people to the table mid-stream (without starting over), course-correct when the situation changes, and close it all out triumphantly… all while staying participatory and collaborative?
This course is packed with dozens of tools and tips to help you:

Understand and anticipate the ups and down of implementing strategies
Initiate dynamic plans and bring them to concrete conclusions
Sustain momentum to bring the plans to implementation
Review and reposition projects that are in process
Bring closure to plans and celebrate the team’s work

Are you…

trying to bring a strategic plan to life?
completing a project with your team?
sustaining a collective impact effort?
rallying support for a community campaign or initiative?

Bring your real-life challenges for personalized peer coaching in this unique learning community structure!
You’ll receive: step-by-step manual and resource guide + 1 hour of free expert coaching.
Course Applicable To:

Consultants and Facilitators
Project & Change Managers
Active Citizens and Community Organizers
Community Organizers
Community Engagement Managers
Planners
Others who are responsible for bringing plans to reality!

Continuing Ed Credits
13.5 NCHEC (CHES & MCHES)
14.5 AICP (APA)
14 PDU (CAPM)
Pricing
$1250: Corporate & Large Nonprofits (budget > $5 million)
$1050: Public Government
$950: Individual Professional – Mid-Sized Nonprofit (budget $1-5 million)
$650: Student (student ID required) & Small Nonprofit (budget < $1 million)

(you will be directed to our sister site top-training.net to process your registration and secure payment)
Testimonials

“A substantive addition to [Strategic Planning] which provides many ideas methods to move the group forward into implementation. I loved it.”
-Jane Stallman
Senior Partner, Center for Strategic Facilitation
“I now have a clearer idea of the strategies a facilitator can use beyond the initial planning to help move a group towards the achievement of their goals.”
-Sacramento Secrets of Implementation Participant

Prerequisites

None. The ToP® Facilitation Methods and ToP® Strategic Planning courses are recommended, but not required.

ToP Facilitation Methods, Sioux Falls, SD
2025-08-19 08:00 - 2025-08-20 17:00 | Interstates, 4701 W Research Dr, Sioux Falls, SD, 57107, United States
Sessions:
August 19-20, 2025: 8:30 am am – 5:00 pm CDT
Sioux Falls, SD

Description
Do you struggle with circular conversation in meetings that don’t seem to go anywhere?
Are you anxious about what to do when conflict arises or someone dominates the conversation?
Do you feel like a used car salesman trying to get people to stay committed and motivated to group projects?
In this engaging course you will learn three simple, universally applicable approaches to help you confidently move any group from conflict or confusion to consensus and commitment.
Focused Conversation
A universal framework to generate meaningful, productive dialogue around any topic.

Conduct purposeful, productive meetings and discussions
Stimulate candid feedback
Surface new ideas and solutions

Consensus Workshop
Infuse a group with creative energy and bring diverse opinions and perspectives into an agreement everyone can own and support.

Tap rational and intuitive thought processes
Respectfully integrate diverse ideas into a larger whole
Generate practical and creative solutions from multiple perspectives
Minimize conflict and achieve consensus

Action Planning
Quickly plan and prepare a group project for launch, and develop shared commitment to timelines, tasks, and success measures.

Analyze the current reality and set inspiring goals
Maximize group ownership and creativity
Craft a doable plan with clear ownership, timelines and success measures

Immersive demonstrations, hands on practice, peer coaching, and real life application opportunities will ensure you leave with confidence to immediately put your new skills to use.
You’ll receive: step-by-step manual and resource guide + 1 hour of free expert coaching.
Course Applicable To:

Project and Team Leaders
Facilitators, Trainers and Consultants
Project & Change Managers
Managers and Supervisors
Executive Directors and Board Members
Educators and Health Practitioners
Active Citizens and Community Workers
Government Employees and Elected Officials
UX and Product Designers
Community organizers

Community Engagement Managers
Others who lead meetings or collaborate with groups of any kind

Prerequisites
None
Continuing Ed Credits
13.5 NCHEC (CHES & MCHES)
14.5 AICP (APA)
14 PDU (CAPM)
Pricing
$1250: Corporate & Large Nonprofits (budget > $5 million)
$1050: Public Government
$950: Individual Professional – Mid-Sized Nonprofit (budget $1-5 million)
$650: Student (student ID required) & Small Nonprofit (budget < $1 million)

(you will be directed to our sister site top-training.net to process your registration and secure payment)
Testimonials
“ToP training has been invaluable to me as an association leader! The techniques I learned have improved both my facilitation and leadership skills – I’m more able to ensure that all voices in the room are heard and also have found that I ask better questions. Even the simple but powerful framework ToP teaches for debriefing has 1,001 uses in my association work!”
–Donna Oser, CAE
Director of Leadership and Executive Search Services for the Michigan Association of School Boards
“I went in feeling insecure about my skills to lead a meeting and walked away from the experience feeling like I had started building a solid facilitation foundation. I now feel I have the confidence to lead a positive and productive meeting.”
–Meg Dethloff
United States Geological Survey/PNAMP Biologist
“This course teaches you to think outside the box, challenge yourself and others during conversations, and engage people in tough brainstorms. It will bring out new thought processes and help you realize how you can change how you have been facilitating meetings in the past.”
–Melissa Boles
Employer Services Manager at Workforce Southwest Washington

ToP Facilitation Methods, Kearney, NE
2025-09-09 08:00 - 2025-09-10 17:00 | Kearney, Nebraska, Kearney, NE, United States
Sessions:
September 9 & 10, 2025: 8:30 am am – 5:00 pm CDT
Kearney, NE

Description
Do you struggle with circular conversation in meetings that don’t seem to go anywhere?
Are you anxious about what to do when conflict arises or someone dominates the conversation?
Do you feel like a used car salesman trying to get people to stay committed and motivated to group projects?
In this engaging course you will learn three simple, universally applicable approaches to help you confidently move any group from conflict or confusion to consensus and commitment.
Focused Conversation
A universal framework to generate meaningful, productive dialogue around any topic.

Conduct purposeful, productive meetings and discussions
Stimulate candid feedback
Surface new ideas and solutions

Consensus Workshop
Infuse a group with creative energy and bring diverse opinions and perspectives into an agreement everyone can own and support.

Tap rational and intuitive thought processes
Respectfully integrate diverse ideas into a larger whole
Generate practical and creative solutions from multiple perspectives
Minimize conflict and achieve consensus

Action Planning
Quickly plan and prepare a group project for launch, and develop shared commitment to timelines, tasks, and success measures.

Analyze the current reality and set inspiring goals
Maximize group ownership and creativity
Craft a doable plan with clear ownership, timelines and success measures

Immersive demonstrations, hands on practice, peer coaching, and real life application opportunities will ensure you leave with confidence to immediately put your new skills to use.
You’ll receive: step-by-step manual and resource guide + 1 hour of free expert coaching.
Course Applicable To:

Project and Team Leaders
Facilitators, Trainers and Consultants
Project & Change Managers
Managers and Supervisors
Executive Directors and Board Members
Educators and Health Practitioners
Active Citizens and Community Workers
Government Employees and Elected Officials
UX and Product Designers
Community organizers

Community Engagement Managers
Others who lead meetings or collaborate with groups of any kind

Prerequisites
None
Continuing Ed Credits
13.5 NCHEC (CHES & MCHES)
14.5 AICP (APA)
14 PDU (CAPM)
Pricing
$1250: Corporate & Large Nonprofits (budget > $5 million)
$1050: Public Government
$950: Individual Professional – Mid-Sized Nonprofit (budget $1-5 million)
$650: Student (student ID required) & Small Nonprofit (budget < $1 million)

(you will be directed to our sister site top-training.net to process your registration and secure payment)
Testimonials
“ToP training has been invaluable to me as an association leader! The techniques I learned have improved both my facilitation and leadership skills – I’m more able to ensure that all voices in the room are heard and also have found that I ask better questions. Even the simple but powerful framework ToP teaches for debriefing has 1,001 uses in my association work!”
–Donna Oser, CAE
Director of Leadership and Executive Search Services for the Michigan Association of School Boards
“I went in feeling insecure about my skills to lead a meeting and walked away from the experience feeling like I had started building a solid facilitation foundation. I now feel I have the confidence to lead a positive and productive meeting.”
–Meg Dethloff
United States Geological Survey/PNAMP Biologist
“This course teaches you to think outside the box, challenge yourself and others during conversations, and engage people in tough brainstorms. It will bring out new thought processes and help you realize how you can change how you have been facilitating meetings in the past.”
–Melissa Boles
Employer Services Manager at Workforce Southwest Washington

ToP Facilitation Methods - Lincoln, NE
2026-03-31 08:00 - 2026-04-01 17:00 | Lincoln, NE
Sessions:
March 31 & April 1: 8:30 am am – 5:00 pm CDT
Lincoln, Nebraska

Description
Do you struggle with circular conversation in meetings that don’t seem to go anywhere?
Are you anxious about what to do when conflict arises or someone dominates the conversation?
Do you feel like a used car salesman trying to get people to stay committed and motivated to group projects?
In this engaging course you will learn three simple, universally applicable approaches to help you confidently move any group from conflict or confusion to consensus and commitment.
Focused Conversation
A universal framework to generate meaningful, productive dialogue around any topic.

Conduct purposeful, productive meetings and discussions
Stimulate candid feedback
Surface new ideas and solutions

Consensus Workshop
Infuse a group with creative energy and bring diverse opinions and perspectives into an agreement everyone can own and support.

Tap rational and intuitive thought processes
Respectfully integrate diverse ideas into a larger whole
Generate practical and creative solutions from multiple perspectives
Minimize conflict and achieve consensus

Action Planning
Quickly plan and prepare a group project for launch, and develop shared commitment to timelines, tasks, and success measures.

Analyze the current reality and set inspiring goals
Maximize group ownership and creativity
Craft a doable plan with clear ownership, timelines and success measures

Immersive demonstrations, hands on practice, peer coaching, and real life application opportunities will ensure you leave with confidence to immediately put your new skills to use.
You’ll receive: step-by-step manual and resource guide + 1 hour of free expert coaching.
Course Applicable To:

Project and Team Leaders
Facilitators, Trainers and Consultants
Project & Change Managers
Managers and Supervisors
Executive Directors and Board Members
Educators and Health Practitioners
Active Citizens and Community Workers
Government Employees and Elected Officials
UX and Product Designers
Community organizers

Community Engagement Managers
Others who lead meetings or collaborate with groups of any kind

Prerequisites
None
Continuing Ed Credits
13.5 NCHEC (CHES & MCHES)
14.5 AICP (APA)
14 PDU (CAPM)
Pricing
$1250: Corporate & Large Nonprofits (budget > $5 million)
$1050: Public Government
$950: Individual Professional – Mid-Sized Nonprofit (budget $1-5 million)
$650: Student (student ID required) & Small Nonprofit (budget < $1 million)

(you will be directed to our sister site top-training.net to process your registration and secure payment)
Testimonials
“ToP training has been invaluable to me as an association leader! The techniques I learned have improved both my facilitation and leadership skills – I’m more able to ensure that all voices in the room are heard and also have found that I ask better questions. Even the simple but powerful framework ToP teaches for debriefing has 1,001 uses in my association work!”
–Donna Oser, CAE
Director of Leadership and Executive Search Services for the Michigan Association of School Boards
“I went in feeling insecure about my skills to lead a meeting and walked away from the experience feeling like I had started building a solid facilitation foundation. I now feel I have the confidence to lead a positive and productive meeting.”
–Meg Dethloff
United States Geological Survey/PNAMP Biologist
“This course teaches you to think outside the box, challenge yourself and others during conversations, and engage people in tough brainstorms. It will bring out new thought processes and help you realize how you can change how you have been facilitating meetings in the past.”
–Melissa Boles
Employer Services Manager at Workforce Southwest Washington

Facilitation Graphics in Alexandria, Virginia
2026-06-01 08:30 - 17:00 | Alexandria, VA, Alexandria, Virginia
Description

📝 Register for Facilitation Graphics on ToP-Training.net

This highly interactive course will take you from stick figures to colorful, dynamic graphics one step at a time… no artistic skill needed!

We guide you step-by-step to build your skills so you feel confident using text, color, and graphics to enrich your leadership, communications, facilitation, training and coaching toolkit!
Regardless of your perceived artistic skills, you will strengthen your competency in combining words and visuals to communicate more clearly, deeply and dramatically.
You will learn about:

Relevant theories around visuals and how they enhance learning
Tips for crafting beautiful flipcharts with clarity, color, and flair
Drawing basics: how to create shapes, icons, and people
Organizing information graphically
Using the power of metaphor to spark creativity and energy in your team

You’ll receive: step-by-step manual and resource guide, 1 hour of free expert coaching, + a free marker set!
You’ll leave with designs for real meetings and group sessions and templates, flipcharts and visual aids that can be reused in your work!

Course Applicable To:

People who think they can’t draw or illustrate concepts
People who can draw and want to marry graphic illustration with group dynamics
Facilitators and session note takers
Anyone communicating to or leading groups
Course instructors, teachers and trainers
Communications professionals

📝 Register for Facilitation Graphics on ToP-Training.net

Pricing

Corporate – Large nonprofits (budget >$ million) = $700
Public Government = $600
Individual Professional Mid-Sized Nonprofit (budget $1-5 million) = $550
Small nonprofit (budget < $1 million) or Student (student ID required) = $450
