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Contribute to the newsletter
If you have an article, book review, something of interest
to facilitators in your region or an upcoming training
programme that you would like to include in the newsletter
please contact Stephen Thorpe
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Update Comments
from Tom Schwarz
The last quarter has
been a busy period for the IAF - with some stand-out
happenings - such as the 'all hands on deck’ to support
48 CPF candidates from around the globe 'doing their
stuff' at the April Atlanta IAF conference.
Amidst the various ongoing changes and developments
in the IAF that Stephen has indicated elsewhere in
this report.
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To my mind though a seminal 'event' for me took place
back in our home region - with the passionate discussions
that evolved on the AFN list server around Facilitators
- who they might be or not be (aka qualifications, and
academics vs non-academics).
The real lessons to us all as facilitators around the
power of the word AND rather than OR ... which is what
the spectrum of reality really encompasses.
About what it’s like for us facilitators (even) to
‘walk the talk’ of really deeply listening.
It took some timely reminders to allow ourselves to
recognise our 'trigger points' - and the real difficulties
in allowing ourselves to listen to others perspectives
as valid truths (when/if these appear to be 'close to
home').
The passions unleashed were I think aptly summed up
by Ian Benjamin....
"Yesterday was pure theatre, Opera - Wagnerian.
It was the best of Radio National instead of (the best
of) your local ABC. It was sensational.Yet, it was like
a real meeting we might find ourselves facilitating.
As Bob and others called it."With Bob Dick's "May
I have your attention"... reminder that helped
bring us back to the 'AND' respectful paradigm ...."It
seems to me that disagreement can be a powerful spur
to learning.
My experience also suggests that the learning is greatest
when:
* people don't paint themselves into a corner by being
dogmatic
* there is deep listening on all sides."
A powerful experiential 'happening' for our community
of practice self-reflections, one that held the reflective
mirror up and lets us both know and feel what it is
we are asking of people in our facilitations whan we
indicate the need for 'deep listening on all sides'
-
Wow – thank you colleagues – a gem of learning for me.
Go well
Tom
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IAF-AFN
Conference Bathurst
24-26 November 2008
The AFN Conference for 2008
is taking shape - 26-28 November in Bathurst NSW, with IAF
CPF Certification on 24-25 November, and post-Conference workshops
on 29 November. The theme is: ' Pushing the Boundaries:
Facilitation Frontiers'. This is the first time
the annual AFN Conference has been held in an inland regional
location within a rural community.
The AFN 2008 Conference Web site is now open at www.afnconference.com.au
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Registration opens at the
end of April and the Program outlines will be built up after
submissions and offers have been worked through.
We are now calling for offers to present workshops, within
the Conference and in post-Conference workshops. We need those
offers by 18 April, so that we can assemble
the program and provide potential registrants with a clearer
indication of the value they will obtain by attending the
Conference. We especially encourage those who have not previously
presented at an AFN Conference to push your own boundaries
and give it a go.
We also encourage all of you to pass this announcement and
the URL for the Web site on to others in all your other networks
(cross-posting is less annoying than missing out!). Although
final prices are yet to be determined, we have introduced
concessional registration for overseas delegates to encourage
wider attendance, so please don't forget to copy to your far
flung associates. There are also Scholarships on offer.
See the Web site for all information. For further enquiries
email:
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'Team Bathurst':
Mark Butz - Hedy Bryant - Sue Elks - Tom Schwarz - Tammy Gamble
- Jenny King - John & Elaine Telford - Haydn Thomas -
Lisa Tuineau.
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Certified
Professional Facilitator Accreditation at Bathurst 22-24
The assessment process is based on rigorous peer review of
knowledge, experience and demonstration of skills. The IAF
Certified™ Professional Facilitator designation indicates
attainment of these foundational competencies. The professional
facilitator designation offers clients an assurance that those
who are certified are qualified to design and provide basic
group facilitation services. Click
here for the IAF-CPF Certification Process Overview (93kb
pdf).
We'd love to have you with us for acreditation in Bathurst!
Early application and an early start on document preparation
is highly recommended! Contact
to register.
The rate the Bathurst certification programme is US$1200.
A portion of this fee, US$250, is payable at the time of
application. The remaining $950 is due upon receipt of an
invitation to attend the Assessment Day. Current IAF membership
is required for certification. Candidates are expected to
cover the cost of transport to the event location, and any
lodging/food for overnight stays. We provide light breakfast
and lunch for all candidates on the event day.
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Click
here to read about Sydney-based facilitator Tom Schwarz's
journey to attained his CPF in Arizona, USA (33kb pdf).
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| Facilitating
Social Change Conference Commonground
Conference Centre, Seymour, Victoria - 8-10 May 2008
Like never before, the world needs good facilitation to help
collaborate around just and sustainable outcomes on SOOOO
many fronts.
This is a little conference that takes place between the big
Australasian
Facilitation Network (AFN) conferences held annually in
November. The conference in May seeks to extend the reach
of facilitation further into the realm of social change, and
being social change agents.
For just and sustainable outcomes to have greater impact,
we need to gather together people who think differently. At
this Facilitating Social Change Conference, we would like
to extend the invitation to facilitators from the 'top end
of town' through to activists working from 'the bottom up'
- and everyone in between.
For more details see: www.fscc.net.au
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| Facilitator
Conferences Around the world
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IAF
Asia Conference Announcement A
Change of Venue
The 11th IAF Asia Conference 2008 will no longer be held
in Bangkok.The Venue has shifted to Sarawak, Malaysia.
The new venue is:
Damai Puri Resort & Spa, Sarawak, Malaysia
Teluk Penyuk Santubong
93762 Kuching,
Sarawak, Malaysia
Tel: +6082 846900 Fax: +6082 846901
www.damaipuriresort.com
There is no change to the original dates: 27 & 28 August
2008 (Wed & Thu).
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| Welcome
to Our Newest Members
Welcome
to members joining since January
Gillian Bester, Snowden Group;
Justin Noel, Origin Communications; Anne Bailey, Co-operacy;
Megan Tough, Complete Potential; Annalie Killian, AMP; Cath
Lawrence, Motion Consulting; Anne Murphy, Michael Hobley,
Brixton Rise Pty. Ltd.; Bernard Gore; Andrew O'Brien, Organisations
That Matter; Christine Rinehart, Rinehart Consulting; Margaret
Jean Taylor, Learning Edges Australia.
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| Local
Membership Where
do our local members come from?
Membership total at 29 February = 62
By region:
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New South Wales |
23 |
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Victoria |
13 |
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New Zealand |
12 |
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Queensland |
8 |
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Western Australia |
6 |
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| Change
that unfriendly IAF-world.org login and password
Web
site tip of the month - Stephen Thorpe |
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Did you know that you can
change your login and password for accessing the member sections
of the IAF-world.org
website?
For years I've found it frustrating having to search for
my member number every time I wanted to access the member
sections of the IAF website. I could never remember the
number. Sometimes I’d just put in the too hard category
and give up. Recently I've found a rather simple solution
- change my login and password.
To do this for yourself go to www.iaf-world.org
and login. Then go to Edit My Profile.
Six links across at the top click on the Login
link. In this screen you can change your login and password
to something you will be able to use!
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| A
Tour of the IAF-World website (www.iaf-world.org)
Tips from Jim Campbell
Jim Campbell is the IAF Europe Regional Representative. Jim
is based in Brussels, where he is Co-Director of the Institute
of Cultural Affairs office. In Jim’s August 2007 regional
IAF newsletter, he took his readers on a tour of the IAF global
web site (www.iaf-world.org).
It's a useful introduction, do read on. |
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“The global web site of the IAF features many services and
benefits for members. However, I often find that people have
not taken the time to find these things. So I have done the
exploring and put together this little guide to facilitate
(no pun intended) your access to the global web site.
If we start with the menu bar on the home page, the first
thing on the left is JOIN/RENEW.
Click on it and you come to a page with four major categories:
1. Join
2. Renew
3. Manage your Membership Profile—here you change your phone
number, email address, etc.
4. View the Membership Directory—here you can search by company,
country, first name, IAF region, last name, or state/province.
Back on the menu bar, the next category is EVENTS
CALENDAR. Click on it and you come to the page where
you can either search for events or enter events for posting
on the calendar.
The next one is FIND A FACILITATOR . When
you click here you find access to the members’ directory or
the listing of IAF Certified Professional Facilitators; an
easy way to find out if anyone in your neighbourhood is a
potential colleague.
The next one is CERTIFICATION. This takes
you to a page from which you can link to all the information,
application forms, etc. for the IAF Certified Professional
Facilitator Programme.
The next item is FACILITATOR RESOURCE CENTER.
The next page is divided into four major categories, with
lots of links under each. They are:
1. Articles, Journals, Books & Websites
2. Methods & Techniques
3. Marketing Tools
4. Opportunities for Involvement
TRAINING is next. This is a listing of training
events and organisations that provide facilitator training.
That’s the menu bar.
However there are other things on the home page.
1. Under Welcome you find various
links that answer some of the basic questions about the IAF,
including information in French and Spanish.
2. Under Global Highlights and Regional
News you find links to current information and
reports.
3. Under IAF Conferences you find
dates with links to the global conferences around the world.
Some of these services and resources require you to login
as a member, so be prepared.
In the upper right hand corner is a box labeled Direct
Links. Here is a very detailed drop down list,
so also check it out.
Finally, one of my favorite, but not well-known, resources
on the website is on the Facilitator Resources
Center page under Articles, Journals,
Books and Websites. It’s called The
Basic Facilitator Primer and
is a 37-page booklet developed jointly with The Human Leadership
and Development Division of the American Society for Quality,
The Association for Quality and Participation, and The International
Association of Facilitators. Look it up!”
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New
IAF Journal Editor
Stephen
Thorpe steps in
Stephen Thorpe has recently become the new Editor-in-Chief
of the IAF's Group
Facilitation: A Research and Applications Journal.
Stephen will be taking on the role from Sandy Schuman who
has been an editor of the journal since late 1997. Sandy
has been involved since the journal's beginning; first as
an Associate Editor, and then as Editor-in-Chief from 2001.“A
superlative effort” as Sandy might say, and a wonderful
contribution to the profession of group facilitation. It
is heart warming to know that Sandy will be transitioning
to a consultative role on the Journal’s board and his experience
will still be present and can be drawn upon as Stephen steps
into the role of Editor.
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IAF
Group Facilitation Journal
What's
in Issue #8?
The Use and Documentation of Facilitation Techniques
by Gwendolyn L. Kolfschoten, Marielle den Hengst, Gert-Jan
de Vreede
Groups often rely on the expertise of facilitators to support
them in their collaboration processes. The design and preparation
of a collaboration process is an important facilitation task.
Although there is a significant body of knowledge about the
effects of facilitation, there is a dearth of knowledge about
the ways in which facilitators design collaboration processes.
Increased understanding in this area will contribute to the
effective design and use of collaboration support and to the
development of collaboration process design support. The research
reported in this paper explores how facilitators could benefit
from libraries of facilitation techniques and what is required
to support facilitators in selecting and using new facilitation
techniques, we sampled perspectives on the use of facilitation
techniques from a large number of professional facilitators
using a survey. We found how facilitators use and document
facilitation techniques and offer suggestions for the documentation
of facilitation techniques. |
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Report on the 2006 Survey of Australian Facilitators
by Jane Elix and Colma Keating
A survey was conducted of facilitators working in Australia
and New Zealand in 2005-2006. The purpose was to gather information
about the background, training, experience, practice and expected
remuneration of the respondents. Key findings were that there
were some differences between female and male facilitators particularly
in relation to their desired daily pay rates and education levels.
Women respondents valued themselves less highly than male facilitators.
The results also showed that more respondents identified their
skills to be in the training and planning areas, rather than
the areas of conflict resolution or consensus building on difficult
and contentious issues. This is the first survey of this type
conducted in Australia, and it provides an interesting set of
information for practicing facilitators, and a platform for
future research in the area.
Examining the
Effect of Marginal Members in Information Sharing Groups
by David Dryden Henningsen and Mary Lynn Miller Henningsen
Not all members of decision-making groups necessarily contribute
to the task. In the present study, we examine the effects of
group size (four or eight person groups) and decision type (intellective
or judgmental decisions) on the number of members who drop out
of the decision-making task. These non-contributing group members
may be viewed as marginal group members. Both group size and
decision type influence the number of marginal members in groups.
Furthermore, marginal group members negatively affect the proportion
of shared and unshared information pooled by group members.
IAF Classics for Facilitators - Functional
Roles of Group Members
Kenneth D. Benne and Paul Sheats
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Book
Reviews
Coaching in Depth: The Organizational Role Analysis
Approach
Edited by John Newton, Susan Long, and Burkard Sievers.
Karnac Books, London, 2006. 230 pages. ISBN 1 85575 328 6
Reviewed by Kate Dempsey |
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The
Change Handbook: The Definitive Resource on Today’s Best Methods
for Engaging Whole Systems
by Peggy Holman, Tom Devane, Steven Cady and Associates
Berret-Koehler Publishers, Inc; 2007; 732 pages; ISBN 10: 1-57675-379-4
Reviewed by Lisa Locke
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The
Art of Facilitation: The essentials for leading great meetings
and creating group synergy.
By Dale Hunter
(with Stephen Thorpe, Hamish Brown, and Anne Bailey)
Random House, Auckland, New Zealand, ISBN-978 1 86941 817 5
Reviewed by Glyn Thomas |
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IAF
Outreach
News from the Institute of Group Leaders
and the Change Management Institute
IGL – Institute of Group Leaders www.igl.org.au
There was a successful conference (around 130 people) run by
the Institute of Group Leaders (IGL) – a body that has IAF endorsement
– in February at the Sydney Wesley Facilities in Pitt St. The
focus was on group work in theraputic settings
– and mainly homogenous (men or women) groups. It explored the
opportunities and challenges faced in practicing group work
in community welfare/health/counselling services work.
Their mode for running the conference was much like the IAF
and AFN – with plenary sessions followed by plenary reflections,
and then various parallel streams for smaller discussions/sharing
themes.
Tom Schwarz provided a facilitated session on the Architecture
of Facilitation – covering how facilitation may have relevance
and value to leaders of group practices. The session was lively
with much sharing reflection covering the whole spectrum of
responses on the relevance of the architecture.
The Change Management Institute (CMI) www.change-management-institute.com
The IAF is also supportive of the efforts by the CMI in their
efforts to build a competences map for practitioners in their
field – and which they acknowledge is based upon the strong
framework and process developed by the IAF (and expressed
in the IAF’s CPF designation).
The IAF will be taking part in their competency framework
launch on April 1 in Sydney – as part of a body of organisations
who support the CMI work.
Their story is similar to the IAF’s – the need for clarity
and visibility around the various competence’s which support
successful engagements is driven by the field.
from their website...
“When we first embarked on the CMI journey
in late 2005, we conducted a series of focus groups with practitioners
and business users. The message came through loud and clear
that accreditation was seen as a major benefit from a professional
body. The main issue identified by business users in our more
recent research is that they find it hard to know what to
look for in a Change Manager as the variety of CVs they receive
when recruiting is enormous. Feedback from experienced Change
Managers indicates frustration with comments like "everyone
thinks they are a Change Manager".
Practitioners also feel that the profession is being discredited
by a lack of definition and poor quality practitioners.
We researched over 30 similar organisations, in Australia
and overseas, and consulted a range of practitioners, academics
and business users during the development of our accreditation
model.”
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Facilitation
Training
Upcoming
opportunities in the Australasian region
ToP (ICA’s network) Melbourne - Modules 1 to 3 of
the ToP Facilitative Leadership Program 7-9 April; Melbourne
- Modules 1 to 3 of the ToP Facilitative Leadership Program
14-15 May. For more information on ToP see: www.markbutz.com.
Action Research workshops with Bob Dick, in Brisbane:
Foundations of Facilitation 24-25 May, Advanced Facilitation
2-3 August, Action learning 23-24 October. For details contact
.
Zenergy The Art of Facilitation: 14-18 April
- Wellington; 5-9 May Nelson; 12-16 May - Auckland; 11-15
August - Rotorua. Online Facilitation Skills: 19 May - 27
July - Global (Online programme). For details contact
.
The Groupwork Institute of Australia in Melbourne:
Introduction to Facilitation 13-14 May, Advanced Group Facilitation
starts 15 April. For details contact
.
Public Participation Planning for Effective
Public Participation in Melbourne 15-16 April. Facilitation
Skills for Public Participation in Melbourne. Details: www.twyford.com.au
For facilitation training opportunities see the IAF Regional
calendar
>>> or the training
directory >>>.
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IAF-ANZ.org
Events Calendar
A
new addition to the regional website
We have developed an events
calendar for the Australasian regional website - www.iaf-anz.org.
Facilitation events and training are now being listed. Please
contact Stephen Thorpe to list details of your facilitation
training programme or event.
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Join
The IAF-ANZ Leadership Team Promote
facilitation in your area
We meet monthly (via Skype)
and together tackle many ideas and initiatives to promote
the art and practice of facilitation in our region. To share
your ideas or to find out what is going on, please contact:
Tom Schwarz:
Keith Ryall:
Stephen Thorpe:
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