These are answers to some of the most common questions asked to staff about ICA Associates Inc. and our services. Please call or email us for more thorough answers.
IAF Certification can take up to 6 months from application to IAF to final assessment. The IAF assessment for certification has its own timeline and can be done whenever the International Association of Facilitators schedules assessments. The Professional Facilitator Program which prepares you for assessment, can be taken during two weeks of July, or spread out over a year or more. Similarly, the ToP Facilitation Essentials Program can be taken in 10 days or spread over a year or more. ICAs ToP Certification recognizes a level of methodology that IAF certification does not.
The International Association of Facilitation has a facilitator certification that is standard within the profession. You become a Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF) after you pass this assessment. The Institute of Cultural Affairs has a body of knowledge called the Technology of Participation (ToP™) that is common around the world. This is an advanced level of facilitation and after assessment you become a Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF). CTF contains almost all of the competencies of the CPF, and adds a level of specialized methods and processes applicable to any field of endeavour.
Hard to say. Any course, in any of the three formats, covers the same theory, application, templates and similar practice. For the purpose of Certification they are equivalent, since Certification has its own independent assessment process that doesn't require courses. For learning purposes they are not, since everyone has their own unique way of learning.
IAF Certification can take up to 6 months from application to IAF to final assessment. The IAF assessment for certification has its own timeline and can be done whenever the International Association of Facilitators schedules assessments. The Professional Facilitator Program which prepares you for assessment, can be taken during two weeks of July, or spread out over a year or more. Similarly, the ToP Facilitation Essentials Program can be taken in 10 days or spread over a year or more. ICAs ToP Certification recognizes a level of methodology that IAF certification does not.
The courses of the FLP can be taken over a six month period, or stretched out over a year or more. Take Group Facilitation Methods first.
When we do facilitation or consulting with a client, we use the ToP body to knowledge to ensure that the consulting is effective and sustainable. Our courses teach that same body of knowledge, so ICA or ToP trained facilitators can use that same body of knowledge in their consulting.
At the very least it will take 8 months. But you can take as long as you like, up to several years. You can join at any time, even after you have taken some of the required courses.
The International Association of Facilitation has a facilitator certification that is standard within the profession. You become a Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF) after you pass this assessment. The Institute of Cultural Affairs has a body of knowledge called the Technology of Participation (ToP™) that is common around the world. This is an advanced level of facilitation and after assessment you become a Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF). CTF contains almost all of the competencies of the CPF, and adds a level of specialized methods and processes applicable to any field of endeavour.
Group Facilitation Methods, Meetings That Work, Facilitating Client Collaboration, Diversity Learning Circles, Cultural Transformation and the Community Development Intensive have no prerequisites. All other courses build on the foundation of GFM, so all other courses require Group Facilitation Methods or GFM online as a prerequisite.
Yes. ToP training courses are available in many countries. They may have different names. If you would like further information, please contact one of our trainers.
The Technology of Participation (ToP™) is a body of knowledge developed by the Institute of Cultural Affairs over forty years. ToP links tools, processes and methods, to a seamless set of values and philosophy that is transferrable across many fields of endeavour. It is a very powerful suite of facilitation methods that are used by practitioners worldwide. There are many books on the Technology of Participation.
ICA stands for Institute of Cultural Affairs. There are 34 autonomous non-profit ICA organizations around the world. ICA International is global network of all of ICAs in several countries, including ICA Associates Inc. ICA Associates Inc. is a Canadian company, a social enterprise created by the registered charity ICA Canada.
All our courses get rave reviews. They include theory, application, practice, feedback with great instructional manuals and reference materials. They are highly participatory courses that demonstrate what is being taught. The trainers are all Certified ToP Facilitators with facilitation practices of their own, with answers to all your questions, and great stories and tips from the front line.
We have been teaching Live Online courses on a small scale since 2012. With the pandemic we retooled and began to teach all our courses online. The have the same theory, application, practice, feedback and high participation, except that it is done online. While nothing can replace inperson classroom courses, our Live Online courses come as close as you can get. We still get great reviews.
The jury is still out on this. Some people need the high interaction of classroom and live online courses. But some people want to work along, take their time to savour the theory, watch the live videos of professional facilitators doing demonstrations, and do the practice with colleagues and friends, before doing it full on with clients. Some have said that the videos alone are worth the course, because they can go back over and over again to get nuances they wouldn't get in the classroom. This is relatively new, since June 2022, but we haven't got negative feedback yet only small ways to improve. Self-directed courses often include some simple gamification.
Hard to say. Any course, in any of the three formats, covers the same theory, application, templates and similar practice. For the purpose of Certification they are equivalent, since Certification has its own independent assessment process that doesn't require courses. For learning purposes they are not, since everyone has their own unique way of learning.
Dress casual.
The Pandemic has totally changed food at inperson courses. Snacks and drinks are no longer out in the open. But we know how important good nutrition is for learning, so our public inperson course will find a way to get you snacks and lunch, even if we order it in, individually wrapped, at our own expense.
For Toronto courses, The Hilton Garden Inn is a block away. The Beverly Hotel, Templar Hotel, Hyatt Regency Toronto, SoHo Metropolitan, Residence Inn Toronto Downtown are all close. There is a residential area west of Spadina Avenue and Chinatown north of us with AirBnB and simple rooms.
If you are unhappy about a course, please call and ask for John Miller. Our general policy is satisfaction guaranteed with a full refund. We want to hear about your concern
Take the Group Facilitation Methods course. It is a prerequisite to amost all other courses and programs. All doors will open after the GFM.
Yes, they do. Usually 1 hour counts for 0.1 point of recertification. Consult the ASQ Recertification Journal, page 7.
We do not give homework in inperson courses. 401 Richmond is part of ground zero of Toronto’s entertainment district. Everything is within walking distance; restaurants, shopping, sports, movies, theatre, City Hall, the Waterfront, people watching, Chinatown, Art Gallery of Ontario, CN Tower. There are many art studios and galleries right in this building. We might give homework during Live Online courses, but usually build in time during the online course to actually do our homework.
Yes. Our current VOR is #00536904 and is for executive leadership development, management and leadership development, strategy development, team development, transformation and change, collaboration, organizational effectiveness, marketing and communication.
Possibly. All of the case studies on our Consulting work were the result of using methods taught in our Facilitation courses. Talk to your course trainer or call our office to find out the requirements for becoming an ICA Associates Inc. Consultant.
Possibly. Become a good facilitator first, then get your CTF certification, and get on our trainer journey. It may take a couple of years.
The courses of the FLP can be taken over a six month period, or stretched out over a year or more. Take Group Facilitation Methods first.
When we do facilitation or consulting with a client, we use the ToP body to knowledge to ensure that the consulting is effective and sustainable. Our courses teach that same body of knowledge, so ICA or ToP trained facilitators can use that same body of knowledge in their consulting.
At the very least it will take 8 months. But you can take as long as you like, up to several years. You can join at any time, even after you have taken some of the required courses.
The Technology of Participation (ToP™) is a body of knowledge developed by the Institute of Cultural Affairs over forty years. ToP links tools, processes and methods, to a seamless set of values and philosophy that is transferrable across many fields of endeavour. It is a very powerful suite of facilitation methods that are used by practitioners worldwide. There are many books on the Technology of Participation.
ICA stands for Institute of Cultural Affairs. There are 34 autonomous non-profit ICA organizations around the world. ICA International is global network of all of ICAs in several countries, including ICA Associates Inc. ICA Associates Inc. is a Canadian company, a social enterprise created by the registered charity ICA Canada.
All our courses get rave reviews. They include theory, application, practice, feedback with great instructional manuals and reference materials. They are highly participatory courses that demonstrate what is being taught. The trainers are all Certified ToP Facilitators with facilitation practices of their own, with answers to all your questions, and great stories and tips from the front line.
We have been teaching Live Online courses on a small scale since 2012. With the pandemic we retooled and began to teach all our courses online. The have the same theory, application, practice, feedback and high participation, except that it is done online. While nothing can replace inperson classroom courses, our Live Online courses come as close as you can get. We still get great reviews.
The jury is still out on this. Some people need the high interaction of classroom and live online courses. But some people want to work along, take their time to savour the theory, watch the live videos of professional facilitators doing demonstrations, and do the practice with colleagues and friends, before doing it full on with clients. Some have said that the videos alone are worth the course, because they can go back over and over again to get nuances they wouldn't get in the classroom. This is relatively new, since June 2022, but we haven't got negative feedback yet only small ways to improve. Self-directed courses often include some simple gamification.
If you are unhappy about a course, please call and ask for John Miller. Our general policy is satisfaction guaranteed with a full refund. We want to hear about your concern
Take the Group Facilitation Methods course. It is a prerequisite to amost all other courses and programs. All doors will open after the GFM.
Yes, they do. Usually 1 hour counts for 0.1 point of recertification. Consult the ASQ Recertification Journal, page 7.
We do not give homework in inperson courses. 401 Richmond is part of ground zero of Toronto’s entertainment district. Everything is within walking distance; restaurants, shopping, sports, movies, theatre, City Hall, the Waterfront, people watching, Chinatown, Art Gallery of Ontario, CN Tower. There are many art studios and galleries right in this building. We might give homework during Live Online courses, but usually build in time during the online course to actually do our homework.
Possibly. Become a good facilitator first, then get your CTF certification, and get on our trainer journey. It may take a couple of years.
Group Facilitation Methods, Meetings That Work, Facilitating Client Collaboration, Diversity Learning Circles, Cultural Transformation and the Community Development Intensive have no prerequisites. All other courses build on the foundation of GFM, so all other courses require Group Facilitation Methods or GFM online as a prerequisite.
Yes. ToP training courses are available in many countries. They may have different names. If you would like further information, please contact one of our trainers.
Dress casual.
The Pandemic has totally changed food at inperson courses. Snacks and drinks are no longer out in the open. But we know how important good nutrition is for learning, so our public inperson course will find a way to get you snacks and lunch, even if we order it in, individually wrapped, at our own expense.
For Toronto courses, The Hilton Garden Inn is a block away. The Beverly Hotel, Templar Hotel, Hyatt Regency Toronto, SoHo Metropolitan, Residence Inn Toronto Downtown are all close. There is a residential area west of Spadina Avenue and Chinatown north of us with AirBnB and simple rooms.
Yes. Our current VOR is #00536904 and is for executive leadership development, management and leadership development, strategy development, team development, transformation and change, collaboration, organizational effectiveness, marketing and communication.
Possibly. All of the case studies on our Consulting work were the result of using methods taught in our Facilitation courses. Talk to your course trainer or call our office to find out the requirements for becoming an ICA Associates Inc. Consultant.