Specialty Competencies
Good facilitation looks a little different on a ropes course than it does in a boardroom. Specialty maps start from the Guild’s Essential Competency System and show you which competencies to grow for the setting you work in, or want to work in.
How a specialty map is built
Every specialty map has the same three parts, so once you learn one, you can read them all.
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Six core domains
The same six areas of skill in every specialty. They are the foundation of all Guild facilitation.
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A context lens
Each domain is rewritten for the setting, naming the knowledge, skills and behaviors that matter there.
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A specialty layer
One added competency the setting cannot do without. It runs through all six domains at every level.
The six core domains
These six domains come from the Guild’s Essential Competency System. Each specialty map rewrites them for its own setting.
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Presence
Staying present & fair
Stay grounded, manage your own bias and be clear about your role.
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Process Design & Sequencing
Planning & ordering sessions
Build a session that moves with purpose from opening to close.
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Observation & Diagnosis
Watching & understanding the group
Notice what is happening beneath the surface of a group.
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Communication & Listening
Listening & talking
Speak clearly, ask good questions and listen for meaning.
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Conflict Navigation
Handling disagreement
Treat tension as useful information and help groups work through it.
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Adaptability & Responsiveness
Adjusting on the fly
Change plans in real time without losing the purpose.
Five levels of mastery, in every specialty
The Guild values competency over credentialing. You move up by showing what you know and can do, with feedback from mentors and peers, not by collecting certificates.
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Apprentice
Shadows, assists and learns core facilitation habits.
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Practitioner
Leads straightforward programs on their own, within scope and standards.
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Artisan
Adapts design and facilitation to complex groups and conditions.
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Master
Leads transformative programs and mentors other facilitators.
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Fellow
Advances the field through stewardship, innovation and standards.
Specialty Maps
Each map follows the same three-part structure and five levels. Choose the setting you work in, or want to work in.
More specialty maps are coming soon.
Where to start if you are new
Pick your setting
Choose the specialty that matches where you facilitate now, or where you hope to.
Read the first two levels
Go through the Apprentice and Practitioner rows in each domain and mark what you already do well.
Grow with a mentor
Shadow, assist and keep a reflective log. Ask a mentor to watch for the behaviors the map describes.
Want help putting this to work?
Contact the Facilitators’ Guild for professional development resources, or for help building training around the Guild’s competency system.
Contact the GuildServices for your organization
For training design, mentoring programs or facilitator assessments, reach out to a Guild member organization.