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InternationalAssociationOfFacilitators

Does anyone know anything about the International Association of Facilitators ? I am interested in learning more about Faciliation. They have an active chapter in Virginia but none in New York. I guess I could find a way to attend meetings once a month in VA if I really cared.

They have a program to give you a certificate "Certified Professional Facilitator". I understand only 30 people have gotten one. Could such a specialized thing be worth the bother?

I am always looking for new skills. This could be interesting but I bet that the AYE crowed would know a bit more about it then I do. I read Kaners book on facilitation and liked it a bunch.

--KenEstes 2002.10.20

There is no facilitators' chapter in New York because facilitation isn't relevant there.

"I got your facilitation right 'ere, ba-da-bing."

Or words to that effect.

-JimBullock, 2002.10.20

I have taken Sam Kaner's class on Participatory Decision Making and recommend taking it or other classes offered by his organization if you are interested in facilitating groups or gaining more experience in faciliting. He offers several different workshops. This might be the next step before getting involved in the IAOF. Here's the latest news from Community At Work (his organization). The final GROUP FACILITATION SKILLS workshop of the year is December 3-5 -- and it's almost sold out already! Contact Sunny Sabbini, Public Workshop Coordinator for the Community At Work. Email:[email protected]. A number of Weinberg and McLendon folks have taken this class. Also, I understand that Sam's brother is Cem Kaner, Professor of CS at Florida Institute of Technology and author of the popular software testing text.

--JohnSuzuki 2002.10.20

Hello, I noticed some very interesting stories posted in SatirChangeModelInvestigation,SatirCopingNonTools & SatirToolkitAdditions. I am looking for stories on Facilitation (or something else?) that addresses the three aspects - PeopleTechnologyEnvironment. We talk about tools, processes & off course people, somehow we �take for granted� our environment. Maybe it�s just me, being a sensitive person, I get goose pimples when the atmosphere (room/space) is not �right� for me. Being a �fiery type person� I complaint about the lighting, the chairs etc..in meeting/workshops room, but usually to no avail. Well, luckily most of the meeting rooms & offices I�ve worked in were modern & well equipped but somehow I still find �something else� is missing.
Two years ago I was involved in a programme whereby I have to attend quality review workshops (& it�s workshops after workshops). That time I wasn�t so lucky the workshops where held in whatever, wherever there�s a room. My goose pimples transformed into headaches! Well I said to myself - need to do something different! I picked some flowers (along the way to the workshop) & put the flowers in a drinking cup (cup & water supplied in workshops!) & put in right in the centre of the table. Wow not only no more headches for me, (some) people noticed the flowers & talked about the flowers and it was amazing.. .the atmosphere that day was less tense, people more relaxed and the agenda was covered on that day!
Hence my interests in exploring more about the PeopleEnvironment aspect & wondered if anyone shares the same view or have similar stories to share.
At a different level of discussion but which I find equally fascinating is the link Technology-Environment. I was in China this summer & couldn�t helping thinking about �sustainable environment�. (replacing bicycles with PCs/cars?!) Do we ask ourselves questions like � do we need to ensure that whatever solutions we come up with will also address the need for sustainable environment? Oh gosh moving into the realm of environmental issues ! Thanks for reading.

--CherDevey 2002.10.21

About International Association of Facilitators (IAF). I've been a member for a few years. The organization grew out of some of the work done by the Institute of Cultural Affairs (a really interesting community development organization committed to deep participation).

ICA also provides facilitation training: Group Facilitation Methods (GFM). It's the best facilitation training I've seen. GFM isn't just a grab bag of techniques; it's a meta method that can be used in a variety of ways to help a group take a mental journey together. It's compatible with Kaner's work, too.

Alot of what I do uses facilitation, and it's one of the most satisfiying parts of my practice. I'd love to talk to you about it at AYE.

EstherDerby 102302