CERTIFICATE
CERTIFICATE

Certificate in Facilitation Skills

The Certificate in Facilitation Skills deepens and extends learning from the Foundations Programme (or equivalent route to Level 1 accreditation).  Learning is extended ‘outwards’ — offering a range of theoretical and practical approaches to underpin effective Organisational Development (OD) — and ‘inwards’, to a deeper grounding of personal awareness, assurance and skill as a facilitator.  You will be encouraged to stretch your facilitation style in a way that is authentic for you and interrelates your personal, professional and social domains.

About The Course

The Certificate Programme comprises two modules and an accreditation day – 5 contact days in total. Attendance on both modules, peer group meetings, supervision and self-study are required for accreditation at Level 2.

Level 1 Accreditation is a pre-requisite for the Certificate in Facilitation Skills.

Module 1: Organisational Impact (2 days)

Organisational Impact is a short course that extends your existing facilitator style and skills ‘outwards’ — offering a range of theoretical and practical approaches to underpin effective Organisational Development (OD).  From your existing facilitation skillset, we consider how you can practically apply new approaches, models and tools, within ever-present contexts and constraints, to create the conditions for high levels of performance and engagement within organisations. 

In this workshop, you will gain further skills and insights to take your facilitation practice to its next level.  We consider how the context of an organisation, whether you are in-house, interim or freelance, affects you and your impact as a facilitator.  We explore how the range of cultures and situations that are typical within organisations influence teams, behaviour and outcomes and what you can do to navigate this complexity.  As group participants generally span several departmental, hierarchical, gender, race, age, class, education, geographical, language and other cultural boundaries, this module will support you to work compassionately, ethically and practically with issues of diversity and inclusion.  Through the application of relational models of Organisational Development (Integral, Person-Centred and Gestalt), your facilitation range and impact will extend to confident and sensitive facilitation of complex work.

This course will introduce you to a range of Organisational Development models in the spirit of action-led-learning (rather than theory-led teaching) to promote deep understanding and long-term relevance to your own facilitation aims and situations.  The course content will lead you through:

  • Contextual and situational planning and contracting
  • How culture shapes group character, performance, behaviour and outcomes and vice versa
  • Attending to the diversity and equality of a group or organisation’s contribution and participation
  • Modelling healthy dialogue (beyond debate and discussion) to bring about genuinely shared outcomes
  • Challenging and confronting limiting behaviours and attitudes
  • Working with the emergent agenda and the here-and-now process

Module 2: Personal Presence (2 days)

Personal Presence is a short course that extends your awareness ‘inwards’ — offering a range of opportunities to examine personal patterns and discard emotional ‘baggage’.  We consider how you can practically hone your facilitation skills and consciously direct your energy and attention to use your ‘self as instrument’.  The skills for working relationally, with awareness and presence, in the modes of both ‘being’ and ‘doing’ are developed through live dialogue, group experience and structured reflection. You become more aware of the lenses through which you interact with groups and organisations and how your personal ‘story’ influences how you ‘read’ others.

Building upon the Organisational Impact module, this workshop offers you the opportunity to explore your own patterns where they have the potential to distort your relationship with a team, participant, co-worker or client.  We encourage you to explore unresolved issues of power, autonomy, inclusion, conflict and openness, so that you are as free as possible from ‘personal baggage’.  This is an opportunity to re-calibrate your intuition, perception, sensations, emotions, intervention style, intention and moment-by-moment choices and to become more aware of your deeply held beliefs.  A consideration of contrasting aspects of your persona, particularly out-of-awareness defences and signals, will broaden your range and leave your energy and attention more available for working with others.  You will develop a higher capacity for trust-building as well as greater sensitivity and awareness of boundaries, energy, feelings and presence.

This course will gently challenge your self-concept (what you know about yourself) in a way that is supportive to your self-esteem (how you feel about yourself).  While it is not ‘therapy’, you may find it ‘therapeutic’ in that it regenerates your sense of purpose and presence. The course content will lead you through:

  • Maintaining and supporting an authentic presence across groups with differing relational needs
  • Awareness of the stories, lenses, ‘voices’, patterns and defences you use to navigate the world
  • An opportunity to articulate and re-assess the core principles underlying your facilitation practice
  • The chance to re-evaluate your facilitation style and consider how this supports your ‘big picture’
  • A practical consideration of ways in which you can impact the quality of contact with your groups
  • Relational concepts of ‘self-as-instrument-of-change’ and ‘self-as-process’

Self and Peer Assessment and Accreditation (1 day)

Having written a detailed self-assessment against the FACETS® competencies, obtained peer feedback and gathered supporting evidence, this day will consolidate your learning into a clear statement of accreditation. You will be familiar with FACETS® from your prior accreditation at level 1.  You will be expected to have read core texts from our reading list and to have received one-to-one supervision (minimum 3 hours, self-funded).

Who is this for?

This course is appropriate for Level 1 Accredited facilitators. This course is appropriate for facilitators whose role substantially involves leading groups and teams, and who are committed to both individual and team development. Typically, the course is attended by managers, team leaders, HR/L&D professionals, management consultants, project managers, trainers, therapists, community leaders and aspiring group facilitators.

Method

At AoF we are committed to experiential learning and reflective practice. You will be working in small groups of up to 12 participants, with smaller sub groups for skills practice and peer review.  Activities will include theory input, practical activities, group discussion, practice sessions, feedback and self & peer assessment.

Costs, Dates, Location and Application

The cost of the full five days leading to accreditation is £3588. If you wish to attend both modules (two days each, a month apart) but not to undertake accreditation, the cost is £2870. It is not possible to book single modules. These prices includes VAT, lunch and all course materials but do not include an overnight stay (approximately £80-100pn).  Discounts are available for not-for-profit organisations, public sector and for self-funded individuals.

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