IFVP Institute Visual practitioner competency model

• Competencies:
  • Why       is it the IFVP Institute that is holding this competency model instead of       a business?
    • A  variety of people who have participated in this project have seen the  value of it being held by a nonprofit organization, a nongovernmental  organization for the benefit of the larger community rather than the  financial gain of a particular company or person. Any resources that are  gained by the certification process will be channeled back into further        development of the model and the benefit of the practice in the larger        community.
  • I   don’t feel completely represented or agree with those. Can we change them?
    • In  order to arrive at these competencies and this visual model it took        difficult conversations, push backs, shuffling things around and        debating moments. It was not easy to narrow down and divide them        didactically. The decision was made to stop iterations and focus on what        represents what it takes to visual practitioners doing the work. No        changes will be made at this point. The next round of iterations will        happen after the model is being used and tested. We will see if they        really would work as well as the group intended to. 

                      o So, is this permanent? It can’t be changed?

 • Not at all. The competency model will receive iterations from time to time. For now, this is the one and no changes will be made at this point.

• All feedback and comments are welcome, they will be considered when the time to update the model comes, though. When will it be? After this model is tested in the field, we can identify gaps and/or the need for changes, and at what level really helps self-development and assessment. 

o Why do we need competencies?

• The competency model was developed to be used as a self-evaluation tool, to better understand opportunities of professional development, to assess your team members or even new hires. It is the starting point/guide for a new practitioner that enters the field and has no idea where to start from, or what it takes to be a visual practitioner.

• Why       is drawing in the KNOW family? Isn’t that something we DO with our hands?
  • Yes, we do with our hands but the visual practitioner has to know what to draw. It is that kind of knowledge we are referring to here. Even if  they are sticky figures, the VP knows when and what a drawing is appropriated. Often VPs are asked the same questions “How do you know what to draw when they are talking? And how do you know exactly what to write? Sometimes  VPs also listen: “I know how to draw but to me it is confusing…I will draw anything you tell me to, but I can’t come up with a drawing on the spot, that fast while they are having the conversation”.  A visual practitioner has the ability to listen, write and draw following the content of the meeting as it unfolds.
• Visual  model:
  • Why  is this drawing like that? What does it mean?Can we change that?
    • Well…this  is the 13th drawing that was made to represent the Visual Practitioner        competency model. It took us months to land on this one. At one point we had to stop iterations and commit to one of them. This is the one we found represented the concept better, otherwise it’d take us another  year or so, having iteration over iteration. 
    • At  the center of the visual where you can see a red spiral is the visual        practitioner, and the torus figure (like a donut) represents all  competencies and sub competencies acting simultaneously while the visual  practitioner is working. Some competencies more than others, and always  guided by the purpose of the work, life or desired outcome. I.e.,        supporting community dialogues, etc.
• Certification of Visual Practitioners:
  • Is it mandatory?
    • No. It is completely optional. By the way, how many great facilitators or coaches do you know that practice with no IAF or INIFAC or ICF  certification? The fact they don’t have a certification doesn’t hold  them back, and they deliver great work, grow and develop as professionals without that. The same rationale applies to visual practitioners. That does not make it  mandatory to be a visual practitioner.
  • Why do we need this?
    • We will start with a quote: “If one does not know which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” Seneca
    • It is about time to establish standards in the visual practitioner field.  With standards it is possible to compare and contrast our practice and know exactly where we need to evolve. 
    • Also a few countries expressed the need for some professional validation. The  level of importance of having this “seal of approval” varies according  to region of the world and business market. Keep in mind that the entry        barrier is nonexistent in this field. We don’t have a college to go to  and come out with a degree of visual practitioner. In some cultures, the certification is valuable, and sometimes it’s seen as the level of        dedication of this professional is higher because of the decision to        obtain a certification. For those, the certification of visual  practitioner is important, and they will benefit from it.
  • How  much does it cost?
    • We  will release all the information later this year. This is a work in progress as we speak. The price is not defined yet. There is a team working in the back office to answer all of those questions in the near future. We can say that we  will practice market prices following INIFAC standards. 

o How does it work??

• Again, all details will be released at the launch.

• We will do a soft launch, piloting the project (meaning running an initial small-scale implementation), evaluate performance and assess the process, review time and cost, and iterate if needed. Then it will be a phased launching. We  will have a waiting list to receive information and/or apply for it, if you are interested or have any questions please send an email to hello@ifvpinstitute.org.

o Isn’t the certification going to box people in?

• We believe that the certification is one’s personal choice and it does not affect the practice. No judgment, it is one of the pathways a professional chooses to follow. 

o What is INIFAC?

•  INIFAC stands for International Institute for Facilitation. It was created in 2003 when five facilitators came together to develop a certification program at the master’s level. One of its founders and board members is Michael Wilkinson, founder of Leadership Strategies, an American company that offers training in facilitation, soft skills, leadership development and team building.

o How do you certify all different kinds of work?

•  Well, in the application form one will have the opportunity to describe the work that one does, submit samples etc. So, the process is being designed to take into consideration the different types of work visual practitioners do.

o Why do we need a collaboration with INIFAC?

•  We don’t have the know-how and expertise that they have regarding certification. We have been learning a lot and still have so much to learn about this project, and to do it right we need the support of a solid process that’s been used for years and years and works well.