Are you curious about the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) Certified™ Professional Facilitator (CPF) designation? Has this revered credential been on your list for quite some time? Or are you looking for a way to set yourself apart as a facilitator? Whether familiar with and contemplating this credential or intrigued by the opportunity to officially designate your facilitation practice, this panel discussion is for you!
Join us on November 2nd for a virtual panel that will begin with a snapshot of the certification process by the IAF. Then hear from three of our CPF MAFN members and a current IAF CPF assessor. They will share their experiences and knowledge so you can gain insights and tips for embarking on the CPF certification journey. Following the moderated panel, we’ll hold open space for questions. Note this session is designed to go beyond the nuts and bolts of the process and drive authentic conversations around the return on the credentialing investment. Don’t miss out!
Prepare for the session…
Get to know the panelists…
PERRY POCKROS
BIOSKETCH
Maybe it was a StrengthFinders “aha” moment or reflecting on twenty years of leadership roles in management consultancies, or observing for the nth time that “things get stuck because the doing of them has not been defined,” that I decided to fuse my management consulting set-of-lenses with the practice of professional facilitation. I frequently observed that after a “consulting” intervention, organizations, departments, offices, groups, and teams were unable to execute change – that the reflexive regression towards disassembling behaviors or inability to define or take the next right collective steps – prevented positive movement. So, I took stock and decided that instead of spending way too much time writing proposals or deliverables, I’d get groups to ask the right questions – and identify the right next steps. And that is the simple mission statement for my Facilis practice that I stood up about six years ago.
I joined MAFN in 2013, the Board in 2017, and have been working with the professional development committee to shape meaningful facilitation training workshops. Along the way, I decided to acquire the CPF designation to help brand and credential my practice.
During my October 2016 CPF assessment mock facilitated session (where the group was identifying key business benefits of adopting a firm code of conduct), I was using my iPhone as a timer and received an incoming spam call that participants thought was part of a choreographed intervention.
MY CPF WHY Being on the IAF CPF roster leads to unexpected solicitations.
DAWN RHINE
BIOSKETCH
While serving as an association professional, I took a facilitation course to get better at guiding strategic discussions with boards, committees, and internal teams. The instructor planted a seed for me to consider facilitation as a profession. I asked, “People do this as a profession?” That said, I hung out my shingle for Synergy Forces as an independent facilitator in 2005 and began pursuing clients. As I embarked on this journey, my expertise has evolved and grown as I continue to better understand the science and hone the art of facilitation. This has led me to focus on strategic planning, problem solving, construction partnering, and team performance. In 2008, I pursued my initial CPF designation, followed by several re-certifications, and also achieved certification to administer the MBTI. Both have served me well. To this day, I am still amazed at how much there is to learn and how interesting it is to serve groups to reach their unique purposes.
I joined MAFN right off the bat in 2005, and from 2009 to 2013, served as an Executive Board Member. I have forged many friendships and business partners because of MAFN and continue to enjoy and learn from this organization and my colleagues. Thank you MAFN!
The initial pursuit of the CPF was scary and challenging, yet also pushed me to really take a look at my craft in a more specific way. Writing the essay in alignment with the core competencies served as a great beacon for the work. Throughout the process, I not only learned from the assessors, but also from my fellow candidates. To this day, I am still connected to several people who were in my class. It has been great to see them evolve into leaders in the field.
MY CPF WHY It truly sets you apart and brings professionalism to facilitation.
BRIAN TARALLO
BIOSKETCH
I passionately hate boring meetings. I got into facilitation after deciding it was much more fun than finance and management consulting. I specialize in graphic facilitation and designing visual methods for group processes. My clients are primarily federal agencies and national associations… because hey, it’s D.C. I am the managing director of Lizard Brain Solutions, and probably will be until someone finally realizes what a mistake it was to hire me.
I am a MAFN newbie. I joined in 2015 for the learning opportunities and because my friends said it was a good idea. I’ve not held a position but have taught two or three MAFN workshops. My most memorable moment during the CPF journey was the look on my assessors’ faces when I told them I didn’t like the six hats method. You’d have thought I’d committed blasphemy.
MY CPF WHY The process of getting the CPF was a forcing function to organize my methods and get clear on my philosophy towards facilitation. I prepared for it like a final exam, which gave structure to what I’d previously picked up by osmosis. In practice, I’ve seen the CPF provide enough of a nudge to get reluctant clients to commit.
CPF HOW? IAF CPF assessor Jerry Ming will join our panel and discuss current IAF CPF certification processes and share his experiences as an assessor to help make your CPF journey successful.
WEBINAR REMINDERS
- No refunds or credits for webinar registration cancellations.
- Registered participants will receive instructions for joining the live session and any additional details between 1 – 3 days in advance.
- Webinars begin promptly at 12:00PM EDT. Please log on at least 15 minutes in advance to ensure your internet connections, audio and other settings are functioning properly.
- All webinars are recorded for post-view access.
- Registration or membership: Admin support, info@mafn.org
