The Workshop Book: From Individual Creativity to Group Action

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts!
Tried and tested practical wisdom for organizing successful workshops

Many people increasingly work in teams or groups where complex issues can arise. Often, group meetings can also be frustratingly inefficient, or dominated by one or two individuals. How can groups work with these complexities in an efficient, highly participatory manner that honors the group’s diverse perspectives and individual creativity, and then form a consensus to action?

The Workshop Book: From Individual Creativity to Group Action outlines the best practices of the workshop method, based on the Institute of Cultural Affairs’ Technology of Participation (TOP™), and its use in consensus formation, planning, problem solving and research. This method of workshopping is based upon the work of highly experienced facilitators throughout the world, and has been extensively used by the Institute of Cultural Affairs for over 40 years.

The Workshop Book describes the basic workshop method, its various steps and uses, and its further development. It also discusses workshop preparation and design, leadership styles, dealing with difficult behaviors, and special applications such as its use in large groups and for planning purposes.

For those new to the method, The Workshop Book provides the steps, the reasons behind the steps, and valuable hints to make the workshop flow smoothly. For those familiar with the workshop method, this book will provide new and deeper insights. It will appeal to a wide range of facilitators, consultants, and conflict resolution professionals in the corporate and nonprofit worlds, as well as those in Human Resources departments, and the education and health sectors.

Educator and researcher R. Brian Stanfield was the Director of Publications for ICA Canada. He was the editor of Edges: New Planetary Patterns, a newsstand magazine, and also wrote The Art of Focused Conversation, The Courage to Lead and The Courage to Lead Journal. Australian born, he worked with the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) in many communities, especially in Australia, India, USA and Canada. A non-profit with a presence in 24 countries, ICA has 50 years of experience in organizational development, adult and child education, community development and methods of social change.

R. Brian Stanfield was an inspired leader, who spent years helping others to become the same. As well as his decades of experience as an educator and researcher, he held the position of Director of Publications at the Canadian Institute of Cultural Affairs for many years. Brian was the author of 5 books focusing on the qualities required for successful progressive leadership and group facilitation, including The Workshop Book, The Art of Focused Conversation and The Courage to Lead.