FACETS®

Email: info@associationoffacilitators.co.uk
Tel: 020 3282 7128
Email: info@associationoffacilitators.co.uk
Tel: 020 3282 7128
Email: info@associationoffacilitators.co.uk
Tel: 020 3282 7128

The Core Facilitation Competency Model

FACETS of Facilitation (© 2011 and ® 2013) is our core Facilitator Competency model. It acknowledges that facilitation is not merely a one-dimensional activity, but has multiple and interrelated layers. Facilitation is truly multi-faceted. F A C E T S is designed as an acronym that signifies six key areas that we consider to be central to both the skill level and character of practitioners. Thus FACETS® also provides a framework for assessing and guiding personal and professional development.

Many resources relating to explaining, evaluating, and developing the FACETS® competencies are available to Affiliate and Accredited Members.

The six FACETS of Facilitation are:

FACILITATION

This facet covers the identifiable skills and the personal qualities that combine to form a facilitators’ style. This is about the dimensions, modes, and hands-on practical interventions that can be utilised in groups. For example, providing activities, eliciting meaning, establishing a positive climate, and handling emotions, etc. Our approach is informed by the founding work of John Heron which has long guided our practice.

AWARENESS

This facet is best described as the ability to ‘tune into’ the prevailing group dynamics. Awareness asks the question, ‘What is really going on?’ It tends to inform the quality of intervention that a facilitator provides, often getting below the surface to explore assumptions, attitudes, beliefs, and anxieties. Awareness guides the skillful exploration of relationships and the understanding of social systems, and the appropriate response to equality, diversity, and dominance. It is foundational to qualities such as safety, being genuine, having positive regard, etc.

CONTRACT

This facet is about handling the agreed working relationships that form a boundary around any facilitated event; to this end, contracting seeks to clarify and manage the expectations of all involved. Contracting has many dimensions, including the relationship between facilitator and participants, facilitator and sponsor, and participants and sponsor. It also has differing layers, ranging from psychological safety to personal goals, to business outcomes.

ETHICS

This facet honours the ethical framework within which practitioners operate, and points towards professional standards and good practice. It encompasses such areas as diversity, equality, integrity, and the environment. It transcends the mere agreeing to an ethical statement by supporting practitioners to ‘walk their talk’ and to demonstrate their values in action.

THEORY

This facet concerns the way facilitators handle the knowledge that underpins and informs their practice. Our commitment is to the development of critically reflective practitioners, i.e., those who not only shape their practice by engaging with theory but who develop fresh knowledge and insights that arise from their experience. We value highly learning that is experiential, emergent, and critically reflective.

SUPPORT

This facet attends to the area of supervision, personal maintenance, and well-being. As with any ‘helping’ profession, facilitators often face difficult behaviours, resistance, and complex situations. Over time the gradual build-up of client material can have a detrimental effect on performance. This facet seeks to ensure that facilitators regularly attend to their own support needs, and thus continue to serve their clients well.

For a self-evaluation version of FACETS® sign up for guest membership HERE