Dues-paying NCDD members are eligible for 20% discounts for the upcoming courses offered by our friends at the Center for Strategic Facilitation. CSF is a partnership of consultants in the San Francisco Bay Area experienced in training, facilitation and organizational development. The CSF Senior Partners are Marti Roach and Jane Stallman.  CSF is affiliated with the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA), a leader over the past four decades in promoting lasting change in communities, nonprofits and businesses, which utilizes a distinct and proven approach called the Technology of Participation.

These are just a few of the many great discounts we’ve negotiated for dues-paying NCDD members.

ToP® Facilitation Methods Course

Are you ready to add some powerful tools to you D&D toolkit?

The Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA), ToP® courses have successfully helped achieve consensus and facilitative leadership in thousands of organizations and communities around the world. These courses benefit anyone involved in leadership, facilitation or training roles, including executive directors, team leaders, organization development and training/ education professionals, community development specialists, and consultants.

You will learn the foundations of the Technology of Participation® approach and three flexible methods in the ToP® Facilitation Methods Course.

• Focused Conversation Method
• Consensus Workshop Method
• Action Planning

You can use these methods independently or in collaboration with other Dialogue and Deliberation methods.

This 2-day intensive course presents the fundamentals of the Technology of Participation (ToP®) methods, with hands-on training to increase effectiveness, consensus and creativity in meetings. If you take one course to learn more about facilitation, this is it! $645 (only $516 for dues-paying NCDD members). Upcoming courses:

October 22-23, 2009 (Oakland)

Facilitation Fundamentals Course

Participate in an information-filled introduction to the core concepts and practices of facilitation, including the role of the facilitator, agenda planning, key facilitative behaviors.

You will learn:

• The key roles of the facilitator that you need for success
• Ways to tap your “inner facilitator” and build on your strengths for best results
• How the brain affects your facilitation and participant engagement
• The three types of meetings and the meeting effectiveness framework
• The six steps of designing a meeting plan
• Five essential elements you can use to facilitate great meetings

This day-long introductory course is designed for those new to facilitation or those seeking to brush up on fundamental best practices. $295 (only $236 for dues-paying NCDD members).

October 29, 2009 (Oakland)

Effective Meetings Toolkit

One day course. Stop meeting madness!  Learn how to have great meetings that people really want to go to.  Get pay backs of increased efficiency, decreased conflict, better decision making and greater group cohesiveness. $295 (only $236 for dues-paying NCDD members).

October 9, 2009 (Oakland)

For more information email Marti Roach at or call 925-376-3853. To register, send a check made out to CSF for the correct amount (price listed minus 20%) and include on the comment line that you are a member of NCDD. Mail to Marti Roach, 56 Amberwood Court, Moraga, CA, 94556.