Prepare to become a Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF). PFP is endorsed by the International Association of Facilitators.
The Professional Facilitator Program includes 10 days of study and 3 hours of free coaching.
Facilitation has become a profession. Employers and clients alike want assurance that they are dealing with professionals. Learn and practice the competencies assessed by the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) the professional association that represents and networks thousands of facilitators worldwide. To obtain the industry standard CPF designation you need to understand and practice a set of facilitation competencies. Build confidence in your own skill by taking the three courses in the Professional Facilitator Program.
Three courses can be taken all at once or spread out over a year or more. Group Facilitation Methods is a prerequisite for the Art & Science of Participation.
The Professional Facilitator Program addresses all the competencies required by the International Association of Facilitators for certification. The IAF Core Competencies describe the skills and behaviours that define effective facilitation, including how facilitators:
- Create collaborative client relationships
- Plan appropriate group processes
- Create and sustain a participatory environment
- Guide the group toward useful outcomes
- Build and maintain professional knowledge
- Model a positive professional attitude
These competencies are the global benchmark for our profession.
The Professional Facilitator Program includes 10 days of instruction over three courses. You get important theory, participate in demonstrations by professional facilitators, practice all the methods to gain confidence, and get feedback from your peers and from the trainers. The manuals contains lots of templates for your later use.
The International Association of Facilitators has endorsed that this program will help you succeed. IAF administers the Certified Professional Facilitator CPF assessment.
The curriculum of the Professional Facilitator Program includes:
- Group Facilitation Methods (GFM) – 2 days
- Meetings That Work (MTW) – 2 days
- Art & Science of Participation (AAS) – 6 days
You can take the In-person (IP) classroom, Live Online (LO) scheduled online, or the Self-Directed (SD) online version of the courses. There is no Self-Directed Art & Science of Participation (AAS) course.
Registration
Register and pay online for the PFP, then select course dates when you have decided on them. Take as long as you want to complete the three. Price is CAD$5,148 plus applicable tax and reflects a 20% discount from individual courses.
When you register online for the PFP you will receive notification that you have joined. You will be billed with a 20% discount off the three courses.
Course Selection
You may register online for each course individually once you have selected a date for any course. We will keep track of this for you. Select a course and date and go through the normal online registration procedure. Select the “Purchase Order” option. You don’t need to add any more information. Just use the “Submit” button.
We will send you a confirmation within a day. (You don’t need to go through PayPal again. If you do, just don’t pay). We already have all the information we need.
Alternatively, you can email us with a selection of any date and course at any time. Select one each of Group Facilitation Methods, Meetings That Work, and the Art & Science of Participation. You can change dates at a later time with no penalty by emailing our Registrar at ica@ica-associates.ca
In the Professional Facilitator Program you will learn how to:
- Create collaborative client relationships, customizing applications and managing events.
- Plan appropriate group processes with time, space and methods.
- Create and sustain a participatory environment ensuring inclusiveness and creativity, with good communication and managing conflict.
- Guide groups to useful outcomes and consensus with clear methods and processes.
- Build and maintain professional knowledge with a solid base and a range of method.
- Model a positive professional attitude, act with integrity and model neutrality.
Facilitators benefit from:
- Transferable skills, adding value in all work environments and professions.
- Lateral connections, creating links within and across units, departments and divisions.
- Vertical relationships, engendering respect at front line, management and director levels.
- Healthy workplaces, generating a positive atmosphere in every project.
- A learning lifestyle, understanding perspectives from within the whole organization.
Use of ICA’s ToP™ methods contributes to your portfolio, preparing you become a Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF).
The Professional Facilitator Program covers all of the competencies required by the International Association of Facilitators for CPF certification and most required by ICA for CTF certification. Each of these certifications have a different competence based assessment, but the portfolio developed for either one will partially complete the other.
Group Facilitation Methods - Powerful methods to facilitate and build consensus
Meetings That Work - Practical tools to design and lead effective meetings.
Art & Science of Participation - Deepen understanding design and practice.
Take courses in any order, but Group Facilitation Methods must be taken before Art & Science of Participation.
