IAF North America & Caribbean Conference 2018: Ottawa, Canada
May 2018
Pre-Conference Executive Program Workshops
Workshops:
ToP Group Facilitation Methods (EX:2_2)
Workshop Leaders: John Miller and Gillian Chambers
Move beyond “seat-of-the-pants” facilitation and reliance on instinct to use the most powerful facilitation methods and processes available: Focused Conversation Method and Consensus Workshop Method. Learn step-by-step approaches to clear thinking, sound decisions, solid consensus and open dialogue. Group Facilitation Methods is a foundational course for professional facilitators and will give you a thorough grounding in facilitation practice. This course has been endorsed by the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) as part of the Professional Facilitator Program to lead you to become a Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF). GFM alone covers many of the competencies required by the IAF.
Workshop Leaders: Barbara MacKay and Rangineh Azimzadeh Tosang
Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey myth is one of many philosophies behind facilitation and change frameworks. In this session, we explore a variation of the hero’s journey for participants to plot their own facilitator histories. The intent of this collaborative exploration is to renew our purpose, bring clarity and focus to our practices, and pave the way for our continued evolution as practitioners. The path to become a consciously competent facilitator is not linear. We are proposing a nine stage model. We all go through these stages yet frequently experience the need to return to earlier stages to ensure our growth. It is helpful to name the stages, and continually assess where we are and where we need to go. Come journey with us through the stages. We will share stories, “laugh and whine” together about the hazards and delights of each stage. We will invite you to support one another and strengthen your ability to move towards the stages where you next need to embark. Finally we will visually and narratively plot how we might move to the next stage. We provide a mini workbook of the stages, take-away visual gift cards of the stages, an action planning template based on the model, a journal note book, tips to navigate every stage based on significant global input to this model. We will follow-up with workshop notes.
Design Thinking & Doing: An Immersive Experience (EX:1_5)
Workshop Leader: Sara Durning
Design thinking is not just for Designers. It is a human-centered problem solving approach to designing products and services. Problems are identified through understanding people's needs. Some of the world’s leading brands, such as Apple, Google, Samsung and GE, use this approach to open new markets, create competitive advantage and innovate.
Discover new opportunities for assisting organizations and businesses with a clear understanding of the process and the role facilitation plays. This workshop will guide you through the process and allow you to learn by doing. To center everyone in the same paradigm, there will be an overview of the Design Thinking process followed by an immersive experience. In small groups, you will use selected methods to uncover needs, define problems, ideate possibilities, prototype and communicate solutions. Reflective and interpretive conversations will be strategically injected to debrief and help you create meaning for your Facilitation practice and/or organization. No design skills required.
Workshop Leader: Bikablo Academy, Andrea Rawanschad
One Day Workshop, Thurs, May 3 (8:30 - 4:30)
Visual facilitation makes content and process visible – whenever people engage in dialogue, work together and learn from each other in an impactful way. In this workshop, we focus on the basics in visual language with the bikablo® technique: Even when you believe you have no artistic talent – this is where you learn your first visual steps and how to use small details to make large spaces look clear, attractive, and lively - for results you can use in your facilitation right away! Join us to learn visualization basics to open the door to the world of visual thinking and dialogue.
The Nimble Facilitator: Today's "Yes, and" Plan (EX:1_2)
Workshop Leaders: Rebecca Sutherns and Nancy Watt
Anticipation and adaptability are essential and teachable facilitation skills. They also sum up what makes good improv. CPF Rebecca Sutherns joins Second City Conservatory graduate and communication specialist Nancy Watt for a highly interactive and fun filled session that strengthens participants' ability to trust their intuition, think on their feet and deal with unpredictable situations. When a facilitated session goes off the rails (and it will), you need to tap a different skillset to navigate choppy waters. Neurological evidence, real-life experience and useful improv tools will equip you to become more nimble from the front of the room. No comedy skills required.