New Environment, New Inspiration: Reflections on ICA:UK ToP Facilitation Training

New environment, new inspiration.

Last week I attended ICA:UK's ToP training with Martin Gilbraith. I first met Martin through the IAF España network, which I now help host in Barcelona alongside him and Allison. It was a pleasure to finally experience his training firsthand, and to spend two days learning alongside other facilitators.

I’ve always found that one of the best ways to grow and expand knowledge is simple: to be in the room with other facilitators.

Everyone brings their own way of holding space, asking questions, managing energy, and designing for participation.

I learned a lot from Martin of course, but also from the others in the group - Paul, who facilitates in sales enablement, Anna Lucia, who facilitates on gender equality, Marie, inclusive design expert, and Anna Kolobova and Alessandra Massaro who work at the European Training Foundation. Small but rich group!

One of the tools I’ve already started applying is ORID. It’s such a simple structure, but it works almost like a natural language processing model for conversation: moving from what we notice, to how we feel, to what it means, to what we’ll do next. It gives discussion a shape without making it feel rigid.

I really enjoyed Martin's way of looking at things, it's not just a framework, rather almost like a way to structure thinking... excited to explore it more in my life. Places I've explored it already:

• Decision making for a group of friends after our travel plans got de-railed (more of that later)

• Talking to myself on what next steps to take

• Final debrief and reflection to finish a drama in education workshop

Very easily usable in so many different places!

I’ll be sharing more about what we uncovered in a separate post in topics like effective teamwork and inclusive design, the ideas are too rich not to!

What I keep coming back to is this: facilitation is a craft.

It grows through practice, reflection, and learning from others.

And every time I invest in my own development, I come back with more tools, more clarity, and more confidence to create spaces where people can genuinely participate.

If you’re curious about ToP facilitation methods or want to strengthen your own facilitation practice, I’d recommend checking out Martin's upcoming trainings. His work is grounded, practical, and full of insight. Also, right by the beautiful Sitges beachside. Win-win!

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