The class was very engaging and challenging at the same time in order to boost improvement as a facilitator! Many great insights given as well!
Review
Great learning experience in the Certified Agile Facilitator and opportunity to build professional relationships not just with the trainer(s), and also with professionals taking the course with you as well because that is another effect of engaging within facilitation!
Review
Joel and Teddy were thoughtful, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable teachers. Their believe in what they teach and their connection to each other really shone through each component of the course.
Review
I recently took an agile facilitation class, and it was great! The instructors were patient, and the group/individual exercises were super helpful. Though the two days felt long, the pacing was good, and it was definitely worth the time!
Review
I recently took an agile facilitation class, and he was great!
Review
I loved the way the class was designed. Both the instructors (Joel and Teddy) were excellent and kept us engaged throughout the sessions. I learned what to remember when facilitating unknown members. Getting instant feedback was so helpful in improving my facilitation skills. I also learned a few new techniques which I can use in my daily life. Overall it was an excellent experience.
Review
Joel and Teddy were great, the topics that we discussed aligned with real life scenarios / actuals. It was not only theory, we applied it.
Review
Real life topics
Review
Great material and so much of it! Enjoyed having two instructors. They gave lots of tips and resources to use in my day-to-day work.
Review
I was very frustrated with lack of details on assignments especially considering the short time given to complete the assignments. I was frustrated by the Miro board and I would recommend folks are told ahead of class to practice with the tool prior to class.
Back to results
Certified Agile Facilitator™
Taught by: Joel Bancroft-Connors
When you take the Certified Agile Facilitator™ course from Scrum Alliance, you will learn from experienced agile practitioners and earn a two-year membership with Scrum Alliance. Add this essential capability to your skills toolbox and demonstrate to employers that you can positively impact their goals by effectively facilitating groups and teams.
Skilled Facilitation enables lasting decision-making, breaking down communication barriers, aligning to goals, and more.
Being a trained facilitator goes beyond simply managing meetings; it empowers individuals to drive meaningful organizational change. With the skills to foster open dialogue and encourage diverse perspectives, facilitators unlock team innovation and creativity. This transformative approach creates a sustainable framework for lasting impact, ensuring organizations can navigate challenges and seize opportunities effectively. Embracing facilitation training equips you to become a catalyst for progress and collaboration in any environment.
If you're ready to learn how to be a true facilitator in an engaging, hands-on way, learning easy-to-apply practices you can apply immediately, this course is for you. From deep experience in facilitation and learning by doing, we've learned what it takes to be effective in a virtual environment and avoid "Zoom fatigue."
Learn the principles and practices of facilitation.
A great facilitator can:
Help groups achieve desired outcomes that lead to actionable results.
Guide collaborative decision-making with deep democracy.
Create a safe environment through open dialogues.
Foster engagement, keeping conversations focused and on track.
Recognize and respond to the unique needs and behaviors of the group.
You can’t learn these skills from a book, and death by PowerPoint is no way to learn complex facilitation skills. You will learn facilitation by doing facilitation. Short presentations cover concepts, and immersive exercises let you practice the skills in powerful group dynamics.
Workshop Hours
11/18: 9:00 am - 12:30 pm PT (12-3:30 ET)
11/19: 9:00 am - 12:30 pm PT (12-3:30 ET)
11/20: 9:00 am - 12:30 pm PT (12-3:30 ET)
11/21: 9:00 am - 12:30 pm PT (12-3:30 ET)
A key to good facilitation is taking breaks. Attendees need mental space to stay engaged and collaborate. We know this applies to learning as well. Each day, we will take a one-hour break for lunch, and each hour, we will take a ten-minute refresher break. These times are fixed, and you can count on them.
Want to see different time zones?
Use this link to open a time zone converter in a new browser tab.
Here's what students say about Kaizen Gorilla’s workshops:
"I was so lucky to get into Joel Bancroft-Connors and Teddy Carroll new Faciliation class, it was AMAZING, thank you, you two!" - Samantha Sieverling
"Shout out to Joel Bancroft-Connors and Teddy Carroll for being excellent instructors!"- Christine Lange
"Lots of gratitude to Joel Bancroft-Connors and Teddy Carroll for the amazing training and support they provided this week. Being part of their class was such an experience." - Elise Nolan
"I had the pleasure of taking the Certified Agile Facilitator course from two amazing instructors; Joel Bancroft-Connors and Teddy Carroll. They led a great two day class with a ton of content and lots of great exercises to practice what we were learning real time." - Chris Beaudoin
"I really appreciated the opportunities to facilitate small groups using different modalities. I'm also grateful for some question and answer time with Joel Bancroft-Connors and Teddy Carroll." - Gina Stout
In This Course, You Will:
Discover what a facilitator is and what they do
Define and practice the three orientations of a facilitator
Understand the importance of maintaining neutrality, inclusion, and safety
Examine team dynamics and development
Learn how to facilitate through conflict
Apply your facilitation skills
The Certified Agile Facilitator workshop is a comprehensive program designed to equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to become an effective facilitator in various professional settings.
Throughout this training course, you will develop a deep understanding of facilitation principles, techniques, and best practices. You will learn how to create and maintain a positive and inclusive environment for group discussions, workshops, and meetings.
Our interactive and engaging course will provide you with practical skills and knowledge that you can apply immediately.
Facilitation is part skill, part art, and part mindset. Facilitators lead teams through collective decision-making sessions where the goal is to leave with actionable plans. Whether a brainstorming session, Scrum retrospective, or large room quarterly planning, a facilitator must create a positive and engaging environment that fosters creativity, innovation, and collaboration.
What You’ll Get from This Course
Scrum Alliance Certification in Agile Facilitation (CAF)
Automatically renew any existing Scrum Alliance certifications you currently possess
14 PMI professional development units for attending a qualified training program
Two-year membership with Scrum Alliance, including exclusive members-only content, programs, and events
Digital copies of training materials
Confidence to apply new skills in new situations
Whether your goal is to enhance your facilitation skills within your current profession or embark on a new career path, this program will provide you with the foundation to excel as a facilitator and help teams become more effective and productive.
Two for the price of one
This course is co-taught by Teddy Carroll, CEC, ORSC, and Joel Bancroft-Connors, CST, CTC, PMP. Both are accomplished coaches, consultants, and trainers in their own rights. As the enterprise Agile coach for the Scrum Alliance, Teddy was instrumental in designing the Certified Agile Facilitator workshop. Together, they are an unbeatable team ready to help you tackle any problem. Joel has been a leading voice in professionalizing Agile coaching through his work on the Agile Coaching Growth Wheel project.
More about your instructors
Teddy is a certified enterprise agile and professional systems coach whose mission is to help people not hate going to work. He helps teams and organizations unlock cohesion, performance, and resistance in the face of change. he believes that only delightful organizations can create delighted customers. Away from work, Teddy shoots a lot of pictures, bangs on his drums, and puts words in such an order that they sometimes become stories.
Joel is a certified scrum trainer and agile team coach whose mission is creating more sustainable companies for a better world. He is known as the Gorilla Coach for his reputation for helping teams and organizations deal with the uncomfortable problem that no one wants to deal with and is harming the organization, the gorilla in the room. Joel's passionate about creating a better world for everyone to live in and creating that world, one student, one client, one person at a time. When not working, Joel lives on several acres in the Pacific Northwest where some project always needs his attention.
1. Introduction to Facilitation: You will gain a comprehensive understanding of facilitation, its purpose, and the role of a facilitator. You will explore different types of facilitation and the core competencies required for successful facilitation
2. Facilitation Tools and Techniques: You will learn various facilitation tools and techniques to engage and guide groups effectively. You will explore methods for brainstorming, decision-making, problem-solving, and consensus-building
3. Communication and Active Listening: A focus on developing effective communication skills and active listening techniques. You will learn how to foster open and respectful communication within groups and enhance their ability to understand and respond to emerging needs
4. Group Dynamics and Conflict Resolution: You will gain insight into group dynamics and learn strategies to manage conflicts that may arise during facilitation sessions. You will acquire skills in de-escalating tense situations, facilitating difficult conversations, and promoting a productive group atmosphere
5. Facilitation Ethics and Professionalism: Learn the importance of ethical conduct and professionalism in facilitation. You will learn about maintaining confidentiality, handling challenging situations, and maintaining impartiality as a facilitator
6. Facilitating Virtual Meetings: This course will equip you with essential skills and tools to facilitate effective virtual meetings and workshops. They will learn how to engage participants, leverage technology, and overcome common challenges working with distributed teams
WHO SHOULD TAKE THE COURSE?
Anyone who wants to help their teams and organizations deliver value sustainably can benefit from learning more about facilitation.
Specifically, this course is valuable for:
Scrum Masters looking to improve their ability to help teams effectively deliver value.
Project/Program managers who want to improve their facilitation skills in an ever-increasing Agile marketplace.
Product Owners and Product Managers seeking skills to better collaborate with their stakeholders to craft product strategy.
Agilists on the path to becoming a Scrum Alliance Certified Agile Coach® (CEC or CTC).
Leaders and managers who want to improve their skills as a leader.
Anyone who wants to make a difference in helping teams and organizations.
If you want to improve the world, these skills can help you do that. Create an environment where every voice is heard and engaged.
DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE
We offer several discounts to help you make this affordable for you.
- Unemployment Discount: Verified unemployed individuals can contact us for a 50% course discount
- New college graduates: If you're looking to improve your graduate skills, we offer a discount for new graduates
- Military (Active Duty and Veteran): We thank you for your service and offer a discount to our classes for you.
- First Responders, State, and Local Government: We recognize your importance to our world. We want to make space for you in our workshops.
The class was very engaging and challenging at the same time in order to boost improvement as a facilitator! Many great insights given as well!
Great learning experience in the Certified Agile Facilitator and opportunity to build professional relationships not just with the trainer(s), and also with professionals taking the course with you as well because that is another effect of engaging within facilitation!
Joel and Teddy were thoughtful, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable teachers. Their believe in what they teach and their connection to each other really shone through each component of the course.
I recently took an agile facilitation class, and it was great! The instructors were patient, and the group/individual exercises were super helpful. Though the two days felt long, the pacing was good, and it was definitely worth the time!
I recently took an agile facilitation class, and he was great!
I loved the way the class was designed. Both the instructors (Joel and Teddy) were excellent and kept us engaged throughout the sessions. I learned what to remember when facilitating unknown members. Getting instant feedback was so helpful in improving my facilitation skills. I also learned a few new techniques which I can use in my daily life. Overall it was an excellent experience.
Joel and Teddy were great, the topics that we discussed aligned with real life scenarios / actuals. It was not only theory, we applied it.
Real life topics
Great material and so much of it! Enjoyed having two instructors. They gave lots of tips and resources to use in my day-to-day work.
I was very frustrated with lack of details on assignments especially considering the short time given to complete the assignments. I was frustrated by the Miro board and I would recommend folks are told ahead of class to practice with the tool prior to class.
More courses by Joel
This trainer has no other upcoming courses of this type.
Teddy is a certified enterprise agile and professional systems coach whose mission is to help people not hate going to work. He helps teams and organizations unlock cohesion, performance, and resistance in the face of change. he believes that only delightful organizations can create delighted customers. Away from work, Teddy shoots a lot of pictures, bangs on his drums, and puts words in such an order that they sometimes become stories. 
Joel is a certified scrum trainer and agile team coach whose mission is creating more sustainable companies for a better world. He is known as the Gorilla Coach for his reputation for helping teams and organizations deal with the uncomfortable problem that no one wants to deal with and is harming the organization, the gorilla in the room. Joel's passionate about creating a better world for everyone to live in and creating that world, one student, one client, one person at a time. When not working, Joel lives on several acres in the Pacific Northwest where some project always needs his attention. 
(38 ratings)
