Training Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We’re so glad you’re here! You’ll want to start with a Foundations course.

If you are a manager, start with Managing to Change the World. Whether you’re new or experienced, this training can help you lay a strong foundation to manage for equity, sustainability, and results. After that, explore Skill Builders for managers. The two most frequently needed Skill Builders for all managers are Giving Feedback and Investing in People and Performance. We offer a discount when you combine Managing to Change the World with two or more Skill Builders (see Packages for discounts). Find everything you need on our For Managers page.

If you are a staff member, start with Working for Change. You’ll learn how to get (and stay!) aligned with your manager and colleagues and increase a sense of agency in your work. After that, explore Skill Builders for staff. We offer a discount when you combine Working for Change with two or more Skill Builders (see Packages for discounts). Find everything you need on our For Staff page.

Welcome back! If you’ve taken Managing to Change the World (in English or Spanish) or participated in a BIPOC Cohort for managers within the past 5 years, you’re ready for Skill Builders! Oh, and you’re always welcome to take Managing to Change the World again as a refresher!

The following Skill Builders go deeper on topics from the classic Managing to Change the World: Giving Feedback, Driving Impact with SMARTIE Goals, Investing in People and Performance, and Managing Up and Sideways. The rest offer deep dives into brand new topics, like Making Better Decisions, Building a Healthy Team Culture, and Hiring Your Team (formerly Equitable Hiring).

If it’s been more than 5 years since you took Managing to Change the World, you should enroll in our refreshed one-day version, which covers new concepts like our conspire-and-align approach and the three dimensions of effective management. Because this training covers foundational tools and mindsets we reference in our Skill Builders, it’s a prerequisite.

Find everything you need on our For Managers page.

Welcome back! If you’ve taken Working for Change or Werking the Work in the past 5 years, you’re ready for Skill Builders like Driving Impact with SMARTIE Goals and Managing Up and Sideways. Oh, and you’re always welcome to take the Working for Change again as a refresher!

If it’s been more than 5 years since you took Working for Change, you should enroll in our latest version for a refresh. Because this training covers foundational tools and mindsets we reference in our Skill Builders, it’s a prerequisite.

Find everything you need on our For Staff page.

If you are looking for training on managing projects, you should pair Working for Change with Planning Projects and Managing Up and Sideways. We offer a discount when you combine Working for Change with two or more Skill Builders (see Packages).

The Foundations courses—Managing to Change the World for managers and Working for Change for staff—are designed to teach essential tools, practices, and mindsets. Because Foundations cover the core mindsets of TMC’s approach, they’re prerequisites for Skill Builders. 

After Foundations, take Skill Builders to dive deeper into key skills. Skill Builders can be taken in any order; you can take them alongside Foundations as part of a Package or a la carte when you need them!

Packages help you focus on your top management goals and achieve specific outcomes. Each package combines one Foundations training with two or more Skill Builders. Choose the package that aligns with the skills you need most, or build your own package with the topics that work for you. We offer packages for managers and staff packages.

All packages include a 10% discount.

If the available Skill Builder dates don’t work for you, choose the “Select a Future Date” option to complete your package registration. You will receive an email with instructions and be prompted to choose a date at a later time. It is not possible to register for a package without selecting your Foundations training date and time.

In our Foundations training, you’ll learn core mindsets, tools, and approaches that we build on in Skill Builders. In Skill Builders, we assume you’re familiar with key TMC concepts like conspire and align, PTR, sphere of control, the delegation cycle, and making the implicit explicit.

If you’ve been to Managing to Change the World, Working for Change, or our BIPOC Cohorts in the past 5 years, you’ve practiced those concepts and can register for Skill Builders right away. If you want a refresher or haven’t taken those trainings in the past 5 years, sign up for the Foundations training that aligns with your role (as a manager or staff member).

Here’s the full list of trainings that satisfy the prerequisites if you took them in the last 5 years:

• Managing to Change the World, including the BIPOC Cohort Edition and Spanish edition
• Working for Change, including the BIPOC Cohort Edition: Werking the Work 

• Managing Projects

• Managing for Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Results

• Any in-house training that was at least one day (6 hours) long. 

Can’t remember if it’s been 5 years? If you took an online training, it was less than 5 years ago! Our team can also help you figure out if you meet the requirement. Email admin@managementcenter.org.

We occasionally offer an open-registration Spanish-language training for managers. Check our training schedule for updates.

For our English-language trainings, we can provide materials (slides and workbook) in Spanish with advance notice. Unfortunately, we do not provide interpretation (you are welcome to bring your own!). Contact us at admin@managementcenter.org to request translated materials.  

We try to have four months of training dates available on our site, and we add new dates about once a quarter. Check back periodically or subscribe to our newsletter to hear about new training dates—and get monthly management tips and resources!  

Currently, only private trainings (aka “in-house trainings”) are offered in-person, when capacity allows. We’re always considering the balance of our offerings, and if we don’t have something that works for you, please let us know at admin@managementcenter.org.

Yes! You can sign up for as many waitlists as you like from our training schedule. Click “Join waiting list” to add your name to the list for your preferred date. 

We recommend that you register for an available training while remaining on the waitlist for your preferred date. If a spot opens up in a session you are waitlisted for, we will notify you via email. We can transfer your registration, including payment, to a new date if you choose.

We admit people off of the waiting list on a rolling basis. As soon as a spot opens up, we will contact you via email with registration instructions. If you are already registered for another training we will transfer your entire registration, including payment, to your preferred training date.

Yes, you can sign up multiple participants by clicking “add another attendee” at the bottom of the participant registration page.

Please note that we adhere to the limit of six (6) participants from the same organization attending the same training session. We’ve received participant feedback that the learning environment is less helpful for individuals when one group sends many people to a single training.

No more than six people from one organization can attend the same training session. Because our trainings are interactive and discussion-based, we’ve found that large groups from the same organization can dominate the discussion, which detracts from the experience for other training participants. You are welcome to register your team in groups of six or less, or register a larger team for individual seats in separate training sessions. Reach out to us at admin@managementcenter.org if you need support!

There are two options for large groups: you can enroll people in multiple different sessions of the training or host a private in-house training for your organization. If you need support enrolling multiple people in separate public training sessions, contact us at admin@managementcenter.org. Private trainings are generally best for groups larger than 15. Complete our In-House Client Inquiry Form to indicate your interest, and someone on our staff will get in touch.

We do. Private trainings are generally best for groups larger than 15. We can train groups of managers, staff, or both together. Complete our In-House Client Inquiry Form to indicate your interest, and someone on our staff will get in touch.

If you would like to transfer your registration less than a week before your training date, please email us at admin@managementcenter.org with the new training date. If you want to transfer your registration to a new date with more than 7-days notice, you can self-transfer or self-cancel your registration by using the link included in your “Registration Confirmed” and/or “Registration Reminder” email. We only honor one transfer request per registrant.

Here’s our refund policy:

• If you cancel at least three weeks before your training date, you will get a full refund.
• If you cancel between three days and three weeks before your training date, you will get a 50% refund.
• Unfortunately, we cannot provide refunds within two days of the start of your training.

All of the times listed on our website and in our confirmation and reminder emails are U.S. Eastern Time. The calendar invite attached to the pre-training email will convert to the timezone used on the recipient’s end. Please calculate the time in your time zone from the Eastern Time times listed for your training. Still unsure? Email the Training Operations Team at admin@managementcenter.org.

Foundations trainings—Managing to Change the World and Working for Change—are both offered in a 1-day format (6 hours) or 2-day (3 hours each) format. Skill Builders are offered in 3-hour sessions. Our BIPOC Cohorts for managers are 3 full days (6 hours each). BIPOC Cohorts for staff are 2 full days (6 hours each).

Yep! You’re not a machine, and neither are our trainers! Our 3-hour sessions include 1-2 breaks, and our 6-hour sessions include a 45-minute break halfway through, plus shorter breaks in the first and second halves.

Your Zoom link is your exclusive ticket to enter! Zoom will restrict access to the training to one participant per link, so don’t share your Zoom link(s) with anyone else.

Yes! Once you register for a training, you’ll get access to optional warm-up reading or activities, as well as the training agenda, Practice Hub, and slides.

If your organization requires proof of attendance, please email our Training Operations Team at admin@managementcenter.org for assistance.

Our trainings are not recorded. You will retain access to all of the materials from the training before, during, and after the session.

We use Zoom, so make sure you have an internet-connected computer (recommended) or tablet to participate. While you can use Zoom on a web browser, it’s best to download the latest desktop version of Zoom to your device. We will send a Practice Hub link ahead of time (in Google Docs and PDF format); you can use it on your device or print it in advance.

Yes! Please specify your accommodation needs during registration in the “Special Accommodations” section of the form or email us at admin@managementcenter.org. We will do our best to make your training experience accessible.

Yes! We use Zoom’s automated live transcription feature for our online trainings, and we can provide a captioner for trainings if needed (with at least 5 days notice). To request a captioner, please email the Training Operations Team at admin@managementcenter.org as soon as receiving confirmation of your training registration or include a note about your access needs when prompted during the registration process in the “Special Accommodations” section.

Our public trainings take place via Zoom and include a mix of lecture, large group discussion, small group discussion, and use of Zoom’s chat feature. We use visuals like slides and images, play videos, and collaborate using the app Padlet. There is time for solo work time using Google Docs, PDF, or a printed copy of our Practice Hub. Every training includes Zoom’s automated live transcription. We can also provide accommodations like captions, screen-reader friendly materials, large print, and more. 

If you have questions or need to request accommodations, email the Training Operations Team at admin@managementcenter.org as soon as you receive confirmation of your training registration or include a note about your access needs in the “Special Accommodations” section of the registration form.

You can pay for the training by credit card at the time of registration. If you’re having issues completing payment, email us at admin@managementcenter.org for alternative methods.

For school districts and other organizations that cannot pay with a credit card, you can request an invoice here. Please complete the request form at least 10 business days prior to the course date to allow adequate processing time.

The client rate is for organizations that have been coaching clients in the last three years or in-house training clients within the last two years (with either The Management Center or The Management Action Center). The discount is automatically applied to your registration if you use an email address with the same domain as one of our client organizations.

We don’t offer scholarships or group rates for our public trainings, but we do have tiered pricing based on organization’s budget size. Participants who buy a training package (a Foundations course and two or more Skill Builders) get a 10% discount. If the cost is the main barrier to attending a training, please email us at admin@managementcenter.org and we’ll see if we can help.

Sorry about that! Please email us at admin@managementcenter.org for help.

If you believe you’ve been charged the incorrect amount for a training during the registration process, email admin@managementcenter.org.

Don’t submit a duplicate registration! Email us at admin@managementcenter.org to receive a secure payment link and to confirm your registration.

Feel free to contact our Training Operations Team by emailing admin@managementcenter.org.