FACILITATOR QUALIFICATION
1 year
qualification course
1 facilitation training
5 thematic workshops
1 reflective lab
bi-monthly peer talks & practice
for reflection and exchange
6 hours of coaching
CO-CREATION and LEARNING
Why facilitation matters
A facilitator…
- makes a difference in how people learn, work, or develop ideas and projects together
- enables transparent, inclusive, and participative group processes that are diversity-sensitive
- creates spaces in which each individual counts and feels encouraged to develop their own vision, identify their inner motivation and turn ideas into action
Who is it for?
This course is for you if:
- you want to facilitate participation and co-creation for positive social change in your team, community or ecosystem
- you are interested in facilitating good learning processes within a group
- you already have experience and would like to deepen your facilitation practice and get connected to other facilitators on an international level
- you have some experience with moderating a group and enjoy bringing people together for a common cause and purpose
- you are engaged in formal or non-formal education and you would like to learn about hands-on facilitation methods
What you will learn
Our 1-year long Facilitator Qualification Course gets you fully equipped as a facilitator knowing how to create democratic learning spaces, to design and facilitate group processes of participation, co-creation and learning.
Start with the training of trainers to learn about the foundations of adult learning, constructivism, group dynamics and pedagogy. Join the full course to explore more in depth the facilitation of participatory processes, of groups and their dynamics, of tensions and conflicts and learn how to design and facilitate inclusive and interactive sessions in person as well as online or hybrid.
Facilitation
– the practice
What does it mean to enable learning in a brave and safe space? How can I address and involve participants’ cognitive, emotional and practical skills? How can I deal with conflicts in groups? Along with gaining knowledge about core approaches in design and facilitation, you will have a chance to apply them in practice during unique group learning processes.
Target Groups & Professional Offers
– the Client
A facilitator adapts the design and proposal to a specific target group or a client. You will learn how to design your activities for different target groups or clients from managing the expectations and agreeing on learning goals, to the implementation and documentation. You will also learn how to position yourself on the market.
Online – the new normal
Online facilitation demands specific skills, competences and methods, which differ from those needed for facilitating in-person. You will discover and practice how to design and facilitate participative, interactive online and hybrid events. You will get equipped with digital tools and methods that will help you make your events inclusive, interactive and enjoyable.
Self-directed Learning – the path
Learning is a lifelong process and self-steering one’s own learning path is at the core of a good facilitator practice. You will understand how to design your own learning path and have space to reflect and exchange about your experience in the peer talks.
Learning & Democracy
– the thematic focus
We believe that productive ideas and projects which lead to action emerge through co-creation and active participation. You will learn how to create democratic learning spaces that are diversity-sensitive and unlock the potential of each individual.
Resilience & Sustainability
– the frame
Our experience shows that navigating complexity has become a crucial skill for individuals, and as facilitators we require competences which allow us to effectively deal with complexity and thrive in uncertain and dynamic environments. You will explore the nature of complexity related to the facilitator’s work, will get to know diverse approaches and frameworks for understanding and managing it and develop sustainable and resilient strategies in your environment.
How it will work
Facilitation
training
31 Oct – 16 Nov 2023 blended training of trainers
3 weeks
Facilitation
training
21 – 24 Sep 2023 in-person training of trainers
3.5 days
Facilitation of participatory processes
12&14 Dec 2023 online
2 × 3 hours
Design & facilitation of online events
20 & 22 Feb 2024 online
2 × 3 hours
Practice
FACILITATING CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION
26 & 28 MArch2024 online
2 × 3 hours
Dealing with group dynamics and group effects
11 & 13 Jun 2024 online
2 × 3 hours
DEALING WITH COMPLEXITY
10 & 12 Sep 2024online
2 × 3 hours
REFLECTIVE LAB
15 Oct 2024online
1 × 3 hours
How it will work
How it will work
blended over- 3 weeks
This blended learning training of trainers, combining online sessions and asynchronous work in between, provides an introduction to theoretical foundations and principles of facilitation, adult learning and group dynamics. It will equip you with competences, methods and tools for your facilitation practice. You will explore the facilitator’s role and learn how to design and facilitate group processes in a participatory and inclusive way.
in-person over 3,5 days
This intensive training of trainers provides an introduction to theoretical foundations and principles of facilitation, adult learning and group dynamics. It will equip you with competences, methods and tools for your work as a facilitator. You will explore a facilitator’s role, and learn how to design and navigate group processes in a participatory and inclusive way.
online - 2 sessions
online - 2 sessions
In this thematic workshop you will learn how to plan and design interactive and inclusive online events. You will explore how to facilitate such events in a holistic, participatory and engaging way, all while considering the specifics of learning and working in a group online. Reflecting on good practices from peers will support you in translating and transforming your events from in-person to online formats.
online - 2 sessions
In this thematic workshop you will get familiar with basic theories and models of conflict analysis, management and conflict transformation as well as with the nonviolent communication approach. You will learn how to identify causes and symptoms of conflicts in a group, how to address them in a constructive manner and use them as opportunities for progress. You will also discover how you can support others in developing a peaceful attitude towards themselves in situations of conflict.
online - 2 sessions
online - 2 sessions
online - 1 session
REFLECTIVE LAB
Learning by doing! You will practice your facilitation during the facilitator qualification course, self-organized and at your own pace. We recommend 15 days of practice both in online and in-person settings (3-4 hours online are equivalent to one day in person). You will have space to reflect and exchange on your practice in the peer talks. We provide twice per year the space to practice facilitation in a team in the peer pratice which gives every course participant the chance to practice and get feedback on.
&
practice
Bi-monthly
Peer talks and practice are bi-monthly online meetings which are an integral part of the course. Peer Talks invite you to connect and exchange with other peers, reflect on your learnings and facilitation practice and dive deeper into specific topics which are emerging throughout the way. Peer Practice offers a safe space for participants to practice, share experience and to experiment facilitating online sessions in a team, to get feedback from peers and improve skills and competences.
6 hours
add-on)
You will have an individual coach supporting you in 3-4 meetings, monitoring your learning goals and your self-assessment. The coach, who is an experienced facilitator, helps you reflect on your facilitation practice and discusses cases that are open or unclear.
Our participants have said...
Thank you, horizontal school!"
Overall, I would highly recommend this course to anyone seeking to expand their understanding of holistic learning!"
One thing I have particularly appreciated is the way in which the online course is designed: attending each session taught me far beyond the content itself."
With this role, I found myself facilitating many beautiful community sessions, organizational development meetings and also learning journeys of our community. That is why I wanted to learn more about facilitation as a qualification. To me the most important gain of the facilitation training is my confidence in facilitation as it provided me competences, methods and tools!"
Thank you so much for everything and especially the motivation, energy and aliveness of our lovely facilitators Marta&Tino."
Choose your Learning Path
Enroll in the Full Course
You have the possibility to choose how to start this journey – either with a blended training of trainers (a mix of online sessions and asynchronous tasks in between) or an in-person training of trainers (taking place in Berlin).
Choose a single module from the course
Would you rather start with a single module instead of enrolling in the whole course? All course modules, apart from the Reflective Lab, are bookable as single trainings as well.