Course

Conversations Worth Having: Trainer Certification

Ended May 8, 2025

Full course description

Certification requires pre-requisites - please see below.

Communication remains one of the top issues for employees in most organizations. 

Conversations Worth Having (CWH) Certification gives you the ability to significantly improve communication within organizations, supporting conscious leadership and improving performance for teams. As a CWH Certified practitioner, you will have the materials, tools, and skills to offer both virtual and on-site CWH training. The certification program is designed to ensure that as a trainer, you will be confident and effective.

Our certification training is an intensive, experiential learning opportunity that combines the theory, practice, and research of Appreciative Inquiry, positive psychology, and neuroscience to support the kind of communication that fuels productivity and meaningful engagement anytime, anywhere, and in any situation. 

We offer two certification levels: CWH Certification and Dual Certification. CWH Certification certifies you to offer the Conversation Bootcamp only. Dual Certification certifies you to offer more than one of the CWH Bootcamps. At this time, we are offering dual certification for the Strategic Conversations Bootcamp. Each certification training is 6-hours and is currently offered virtually. Customized certification for an organizational team can be done virtually or in-person. 

Learning Objectives

  1. Develop practical instructional design skills and confidence to facilitate learning and retention.
  2. Understand how to use the training manuals and other material to enhance the learning experience for participants.
  3. Become effective at using case studies, activities, exercises, videos, and slides to support participant learning and engagement.
  4. Design training and engagement plans with coaching and feedback.
  5. Develop the skills at having conversations that help you and others thrive and create environments that influence wellbeing.
  6. Deepen your capacity for turning conflicts, challenges, and problems into conversations worth having.

CWH Certification Requirements

The pre-requisite for each certification training program is completion of the Conversation Bootcamp plus any additional bootcamps for which you seek certification. In other words, those seeking CWH Certification must attend the Conversation Bootcamp prior to the CWH Certification training; those seeking Strategic Conversations Certification must attend the Conversation Bootcamp and the Strategic Conversations Bootcamps prior to attending the Strategic Conversations Certification training. 

To qualify for certification, you will need to submit your Certification Application, which provides the certifying organizations with an assessment of your knowledge, skills, and abilities. We encourage everyone to complete their application within one year from your certification training. As you work towards certification, we offer up to three hours of free coaching for designing training and engagements to support your application portfolios.

The application requirements include: 

  • Portfolio of at least two trainings or project engagements in which you demonstrate your ability to deliver the materials.
  • Testimonials/Feedback from a minimum of six participants (three per training/project).
  • Knowledge Assessment, which demonstrates mastery of the concepts related to CWH, Appreciative Inquiry, a dual certification field (if relevant), and facilitator/trainer competencies.
  • Reflective Learning Essay responding to questions related to your experience of training, any insights or lessons learned, how the material has changed them, and more.

Dates and Rates

We offer group training certification for organizations. Depending upon the number of people you would like certified, a group rate can be negotiated.  

CWH Certification

  • Wednesday May 7, 2025: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm ET
  • $1,295 (Enter code "CWHOnly " at checkout)

Dual Certification

  • Wednesday May 7, 2025 (Conversations Worth Having): 10:00 am - 4:00 pm ET
  • Thursday May 8, 2025 (Strategic Conversations): 10:00 am - 4:00 pm ET
  • $1,995

Upcoming Dates

Registration for the upcoming Certifications will open once enrollment for the current Certification has closed. Contact the Cooperrider Center if you want to be notified when registration opens. To get the CWH Certification, attend the first day only. To get the DUAL Certification, attend both days.

  • Oct 23 & 24, 2025:  10am-4pmET

Certification Benefits

Certified trainers have everything they need to implement Conversation Bootcamps and/or integrate the materials into their existing trainings and work. You will have on-line access to the latest training materials, which are updated annually. These materials include:

  • Manuals (workbooks)
  • PowerPoint Slides
  • Sample Agenda
  • Support Material: 9-week workbook journal, study guide, videos, articles, case studies, Certificates of Completion templates, logos

Other benefits are:

  • Marketing materials
  • You may offer customized training through the CWH Institute and Center for Appreciative Inquiry, broadening your reach
  • Opportunities to co-create related products (e.g., Shift This!)
  • Opportunity to be a co-author in the Focus Book Series
  • CWHConnect Community of Practice (ongoing support, learning, and sharing among CWH trainers)
  • Opportunities to present for the CWH Community Calls
  • Consulting and training referrals
  • Certified trainer ’s profile will be posted on the Conversations Worth Having website, and you may add your profile page to the Center for Appreciative Inquiry, if desired.
  • Earn residual income as an affiliate for the self-directed On-Demand Conversation Bootcamp series and when you sell CWH products (e.g., Shift This!)
  • Permission to co-brand all of the materials as long as you are a CWH member in good standing (annual membership fees apply)

Who ’s Benefiting from Certification?

Our goal is to certify practitioners, trainers, managers, and leaders driving positive change within organizations, communities, families, and individuals. Those who ’ve been certified already reflect a broad range of professions:

  • Managers, program/project directors, and leaders
  • Training and development practitioners
  • Human resource professionals
  • Organization development professionals
  • Talent management practitioners
  • Coaches
  • Internal and external consultants
  • Teachers, school counselors, and principals
  • College and university professors
  • Therapists, social workers, and case managers
  • Physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers
  • Librarians
  • Community non-profits and advocacy groups

 

Certification is issued in partnership with the David L. Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry , based at Champlain College, and The Center for Appreciative Inquiry . 

Questions?  Contact the Cooperrider Center at appreciativeinquiry@champlain.edu.

Instructors


Cheri Torres

Cheri is a Lead Catalyst at Collaborative by Design and guest lecturer at Lenoir Rhyne University. The foundation of Cheri's work is Appreciative Inquiry, which she was introduced to by David Cooperrider and Diana Whitney. Her work is grounded in neuroscience and positive psychology, and she is adept at helping others understand how their conversations influence their well-being and ability to succeed. She has worked with thousands of leaders and teams around the world to support high performance, engagement, and organizational success. Her clients have included AbbVie Pharmaceuticals, Baystate Medical Center, Booz Allen, EPA-ORD, NASA, Satyam Computer Services, Silverado Memory Care, and numerous non-profits and schools. She's written numerous books and articles; her most recent book is a Berrett Koehler bestseller, Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement. Her work has been featured in leading media sources including Careers in Government, Fast Company, Forbes, HR Magazine, SmartBrief, Training Industry, and Training Magazine. A consummate learner, she has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, specializing in Collaborative Learning, an MBA., with emphasis on management, a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology, Appreciative Inquiry certification from Case Western Reserve University, Level 2 certification in Cultural Transformation Tools/Barrett Values Centre, and Level II certification in Spiral Dynamics Integral. She lives in Asheville, NC with her husband, Michael, their two dogs, Logan and Annabelle, and Ziggy, the cat, enjoying hiking, music, and eating great food.

 

Jackie Stavros

Jackie is a professor at Lawrence Technological University (LTU). Her passion is working with others to bring AI into their daily conversations and meetings to create productive and meaningful results. She is recognized for her creation of SOAR, a positive approach to strategic thinking, planning, and leading (www.soar-strategy.com) . She works with organizations in leadership development, team-building, and strategic planning. She helps organizations identify and articulate their values, vision, mission, strategy, and strategic initiatives. In 1995, Jackie was introduced to Appreciative Inquiry by David Cooperrider and Ron Fry while working on her doctorate at CASE Weatherhead School of Management. Her dissertation:Capacity Building Using an Appreciative Approach: A Relational Process of Building Your Organization's Future.She has worked across all sectors: for-profit, non-profit, government, and a wide spectrum of industries. Clients include: Edsel and Eleanor Ford Foundation, Flint Intermediate School District, Jefferson Wells, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Girl Scouts, Orbseal Technologies, Washtenaw Literacy, U.S. Army, automotive suppliers, healthcare centers, and education. She has worked in over 25 countries using AI to affect the lives of thousands of people and their organizations improve capacity to thrive and increase performance. She has written 6 books, 20 books chapters, and over 40 articles. Co-authored books include:Thin Book of SOAR: Building Strengths-based Strategy and Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement.She lives in Brighton, Michigan, with her husband, Paul; their kids, Ally and Adam; and Rex, a lovable dog.