Master Facilitator Certification

The title Certified Master Facilitator™ is a mark of excellence in facilitation. It distinguishes you as having achieved the highest certification available in the industry.

The certification process assesses you against a rigorous set of competencies. These competencies were developed based on input from over 450 facilitators and clients. The result, a certification with the distinction of quality, integrity, talent and service, is one which facilitators can aspire to and on which clients can depend.

Certified Master Facilitator™

Summary of Requirements:

• Experience: 30 facilitated sessions, 5 different clients or 5 different departments within an organization, 10 different sponsors. (Note: Facilitators who have received the Certified Professional Facilitator designation from the International Association of Facilitators receive credit for 10 sessions.)

• Knowledge: Written responses to 30 questions related to sub-competencies

• Performance: Videotape of a simulated facilitated session accompanied by a detailed facilitation agenda and guide

• Client References: 5 client reference letters

• Assessment: Score 4.0 or higher in each of the six competency areas on both the knowledge assessment and the performance assessment

A candidate for the Certified Master Facilitation certification must achieve the following:

1. Experience - Meet the Masters experience requirement by documenting the facilitation of a minimum of 30 "distinct" facilitated sessions with a minimum of 5 different "project sponsors” and 5 different organizations or departments. Facilitators who have received the Certified Professional Facilitator designation from the International Association of Facilitators receive credit for 10 sessions. (See the Glossary of Terms for a definition of terms in quotation marks.)

   The experience requirement can be met in one of two ways:

   • Based on sessions completed over the three-year period immediately preceding the date of the application; or

   • For facilitators who receive the Provisional CMF designation: based on sessions completed over the three-year period immediately preceding the date of the application, plus sessions completed during the application process and after receiving the Provisional CMF designation.

   INIFAC will review the documentation to ensure all experience requirements are met. INIFAC will do a verification check on a random sample of the sessions to ensure the accuracy of the documentation. A minimum of 80% of the sample must pass verification.

2. Knowledge - Meet the Masters knowledge requirement by completing a written submission responding to each of the master facilitator competencies and subcompetencies. The INIFAC assessors will score each response on a five-point scale.

3. Performance - Meet the Masters performance requirement by submitting a video of a simulated facilitated session lasting 25-35 minutes based on a specific topic and a set of participant guidelines provided by INIFAC. The INIFAC assessors will review the video and score your performance in the relevant sub-competencies on a five-point scale.

4. Feedback - Meet the Masters feedback requirement by providing letters of recommendation from five different "project sponsors" from five different "organizations" for facilitations completed within three years of the date of application.

5. Competency - Meet the Masters competency requirement by achieving a rating of 4.0 (out of 5) or higher in each of the six master facilitator competencies on both the knowledge assessment and the performance assessment based on the scoring of INIFAC assessors in each relevant sub-competency.

6. The Assessment – A Positive Experience - Everyone who undertakes the CMF assessment receives a certificate showing the rating of their skills and knowledge as follows:

   • Advanced: Score 4.0 or higher (out of 5.0) in each competency area in the knowledge and performance assessment.

   • Accomplished: Score 3.0 or higher in each competency area

   • Associate: Score 2.0 or higher in each competency area

   • Apprentice: Score under 2.0 on one or more of the competency areas

   Facilitators who want to continue to advance their skills are encouraged to periodically resubmit their information to assess their progress toward becoming a Certified Master Facilitator.

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Provisional CMF™

Candidates meeting the knowledge and performance requirements of the CMF, but who don’t meet the experience requirement of 30 sessions, are granted the Provisional CMF designation.

The Provisional CMF designation is intended to indicate progress toward reaching the Certified Master Facilitator certification. While those achieving this designation do not receive a certificate of certification, the designation is intended to indicate that the person has achieved a significant level and is working towards the completion of CMF requirements. Candidates who meet the Provisional CMF requirements receive a letter of congratulations on progress towards the CMF and have three years from their application date to complete the experience requirements of the CMF.

A candidate for the Provisional CMF designation must achieve the following:

1. Experience - Meet the Provisional CMF experience requirement by documenting the facilitation of a minimum of 15 "distinct" facilitated sessions with a minimum of 3 different "organizations" and 5 different "project sponsors" completed over the three-year period immediately preceding the date of the application. Facilitators who have received the Certified Professional Facilitator designation from the International Association of Facilitators receive credit for 7 sessions. (See the Glossary of Terms for a definition of terms in quotation marks.)

   INIFAC will review the documentation to ensure all experience requirements are met. Sessions not meeting the experience requirement will be disqualified. INIFAC will do a verification check on a random sample of the sessions to ensure the accuracy of the documentation. A minimum of 80% of the sample must pass verification.

2. Knowledge - Meet the Provisional CMF knowledge requirement by completing a written submission responding to each of the master facilitator competencies and subcompetencies. The INIFAC assessors will score each response on a five-point scale.

3. Performance - Meet the Provisional CMF performance requirement by submitting a videotape of a simulated facilitated session lasting 25-35 minutes or longer based on a specific topic and a set of participant guidelines provided by INIFAC. The INIFAC assessors will review the videotape and score your performance in the relevant sub-competencies on a five-point scale.

4. Feedback - Meet the Provisional CMF feedback requirement by providing letters of recommendation from five different "project sponsors" from five different "organizations" for facilitations completed within three years of the date of application.

5. Competency - Meet the Provisional CMF competency requirement by achieving a "weighted average rating" of 4.0 (out of 5) or higher on five of the six master facilitator competencies at the 80% target level, with at least a 60% rating in the sixth competency based on the scoring of INIFAC assessors for the performance, knowledge and feedback in each relevant sub-competency.

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The Master Facilitator Competencies

In May, 2003, the International Institute for Facilitation, with the support of Leadership Strategies - The Facilitation Company, sponsored a research project to help define the knowledge, skills and experiences a facilitator should possess to consistently lead outstanding facilitated sessions.

• The research project included a survey which presented respondents with a definition of an outstanding facilitated session.

• The survey invited the respondents to add to or modify the definition.

• The survey asked respondents to rate the importance of 57 skills in achieving an outstanding facilitated session. The researchers compiled the skills based on a review of existing facilitator competency models and facilitator training curriculums.

• The survey also gave the respondents the opportunity to add to the list of skills.

Over 450 facilitators and clients responded to the survey. The researchers used the ratings and comments to finalize the 6 competencies and 30 sub-competencies that make up the Master Facilitator Competencies. The acronym "PAC³E" is used to describe the competencies.

A copy of the survey report may be downloaded by clicking here.

Master Facilitators bring "PAC³E" to every engagement.

A. Presence

Master Facilitators bring compassion and authority to the room. Through their verbal and non-verbal expression, they exude confidence, energy and self-awareness while also conveying a high level of warmth and caring. They make adjustments in their style to better serve the group.

B. Assessment

Master Facilitators know and ask the questions necessary to accurately assess a client need. Based on their learning from past experiences, they create processes designed to address the client's specific requirements. They carefully plan and prepare sessions. They recognize when a planned process is not working effectively and are able to define alternative processes quickly to reach the desired outcome.

C. Communication

Master facilitators are skilled communicators. They actively listen, making sure to playback and confirm important points. They have highly-tuned analytic skills which allow them to process information quickly, differentiate various content issues and isolate critical points in a discussion. They ask questions that help groups to engage effectively. They deliver instructions that are accurate, clear and concise. They effectively identify and verbally summarize agreements.

D. Control

Master Facilitators create and maintain a productive and safe environment in which participants with diverse styles and culture can engage in interactions that stay focused on achieving the goal. They maintain control of the session and an appropriate pace. They understand causes of disagreement and can effectively guide a group through conflict. They consciously take action to prevent, detect and resolve dysfunctional behavior.

E. Consistency

Master Facilitators understand and consistently apply best practice techniques for such activities as starting the session, focusing the group, recording information, and closing the session.

F. Engagement

Master Facilitators know and use multiple techniques for engaging a group, problem solving, decision-making, promoting creativity and raising energy.

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The Sub-competencies

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The Glossary of Terms

1.  Distinct Facilitated Session

An effort has been made to provide parameters to consistently define whether an activity should qualify as one session or multiple sessions. Though the parameters may appear somewhat arbitrary, an attempt has been made to establish criteria that in the typical case would define "distinct" sessions.

A distinct facilitated session must meet the following five criteria:

1. last at least two hours;

2. include a minimum of five participants, not counting the facilitator;

3. result in a shared deliverable (e.g., action list, decision, priorities, next steps) created by participants through interaction;

4. involve the participants speaking at least 2/3rds of the time;

5. involve the facilitator leading the session by guiding participants through each agenda item.

For example, a session with three people or a session lasting one hour would not be considered "distinct" facilitated sessions for the purposes of this definition.

The typical presentation or training class would NOT be considered a distinct facilitated session because the participants generally speak less than 2/3rds of the time and the participants generally don't create a shared product as a result of the session.

A session with essentially the same participants over multiple days would be considered a single session, unless there is at least a 24-hour break between the end of one session and the start of another.

• For example, a session from 8:30 to 5:30, three days in a row would be considered one "distinct" facilitated session. A session every Monday 8:30 to 5:30 for 3 weeks would be considered three "distinct" sessions.

Multiple sessions on the same day - with similar or different agendas - would be considered a single session unless the new attendees in the subsequent session made up at least 50% of the audience.

• For example, a session in the morning with 7 managers, followed by a session in the afternoon which included the 7 managers and 3 employees (30% new) would be considered one distinct session. However, if the second session had the 7 managers and 13 employees (65% new) the second session would be considered a second distinct session.

2.  Project Sponsor

• A project sponsor is defined as the person of highest authority responsible for the outcome of the session.

• To achieve 5 different project sponsors, you must count only one sponsor per session.

• Project sponsors who are no longer with their organization can still be indicated as long as current contact information is provided.

• If the project sponsor cannot be located, a different contact name can be provided as long as that person (a) was a participant in the session or (b) is currently with the sponsoring organization and is knowledgeable about the session.

3.  Weighted Average Rating

The weighted average rating for a competency is computed based on taking a weighted average of all sub-competencies scores for all assessed areas that fall under the competency. Videotape scores receive a weight of 2 and written submission scores receive a weight of 1.

4.  Estimate of Verifiable Sessions

If the verification of the Experience sample results in some percentage of sessions being disqualified as unverifiable, this same percentage will be subtracted from the total number of "distinct" sessions to arrive at an estimate of "verifiable distinct sessions."

For example, a candidate submits 38 sessions.

Four of the sessions are disqualified as not distinct because one session was less than 2 hours, one session had less than 5 participants, and a three-day session was counted by the facilitator as three sessions and should have been counted as one.

A sample of the remaining 34 sessions were reviewed for verification, 10% of them could not be verified.

As a result the estimate of verifiable, distinct sessions would be as follows:

38 total sessions submitted
- 4 disqualified
34 distinct sessions
- 3 (10% not verifiable)
31 estimated as verifiable distinct sessions

→ Next Step: Applying for Certification

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learn about...

Certified Master Facilitator™

Provisional Master Facilitator™

Competencies

The Sub-competencies

The Glossary of Terms