IFVP Institute

IFVP InstituteIFVP InstituteIFVP Institute
  • About Us
  • What We Do
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • More
    • About Us
    • What We Do
    • Events
    • Contact
    • Resources

IFVP Institute

IFVP InstituteIFVP InstituteIFVP Institute
  • About Us
  • What We Do
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Resources

IFVP Institute Visual practitioner competency model

 

The IFVP Institute is the broader educational arm of IFVP (International Forum of Visual Practitioners), a membership organization focused on the businesses and learning opportunities for visual practitioner members. The mission of the Institute is to advance the development and application of visual thinking and practices overall and, to amplify the collective impact of visual practices on education and social issues.

IFVP Institute has created a compendium of Competencies, which is meant to set a standard that defines advanced Visual Practitioner skills and talents. The purpose is to offer a path to learning and growth for aspiring practitioners, which, at the end of a curriculum, can lead to certification, for those who want or need it.

BECOME A FOUNDING DONOR

DONATE NOW

history of visual practitioner competency work

 

    This robust compendium of Visual Practitioner Competencies represents years of work. In 1995, when the IFVP was born, several people gave a lot of thought to what might be included in a guide for aspiring practitioners, but those thoughts never took off or materialized. Many attempts were made along the way after that to define what we do and what it takes, but each time, it was beyond our ability to undertake what was required to carry that out. Our field is complex and rich and grows with each experience and we realized, it was going to take a real concentrated effort to focus in on what we actually had.


   Fast forward to around 2017 when the effort was picked up in earnest. This time, the traction was there. Many people contributed over the next 4 years to this bottom up, grassroots project, including studying 17 documented models. To define the IFVP’s competencies for a visual practitioner, we didn’t begin with a blank canvas.


   We kicked off with an Open Space discussion in New Jersey at IFVP 2019. Then, a handful of interested volunteers formed a working group*. The working group was a diverse group of individuals that represented the many roles and backgrounds of our industry, from academia and business, independent contractors, small firms, and large companies, and graphic recorders and visual facilitators.


   The working group followed a method of developing competencies originally designed by Bob Eichinger and Michael Lombardo at the Center for Creative Leadership. Their method has been used to create thousands of competency models for businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. 


   We looked carefully at the work of many leaders and thinkers in our industry who defined what it takes to be a visual practitioner in their own way, including David Sibbet, Brandy Agerbeck, Kelvy Bird, Ole Sorensen, Susan Kelly and the competencies used by a few visual practitioners agencies in the U.S. This gave us a library of about 300 competencies. 


   We narrowed down the list by identifying synonymous and near-synonymous competencies (like “listening” and “hearing”) and keeping the word that appeared most often (in this case, “listening”), and the tools, abilities, skills, practices and uniqueness of this field. Then, as individuals, we asked ourselves: which of these are the most important competencies for a visual practitioner to have? We each defined “important” in our own way to maintain a diversity of perspectives. We ranked them in order of importance, and were surprised to find how much we agreed with each other, despite our different views and interests. The compilation of our individual results became the final list of 12 and then distilled to 7 core competencies encompassing common elements that define the work of a professional visual practitioner.


   We shared the list with both IFVP and IFVP Institute’s board of directors and with a few leaders in our industry for their initial feedback. They had some great questions and great ideas, and they all agreed with the final list.

   We’re happy to share the IFVP Institute competencies with you now!

visual

1/6

quotes

 

“I'm so excited to see these competencies come together, and thanks to the IFVP Institute for championing this work! Defining what it means to be a visual practitioner allows us to better articulate our work to clients, orient new people to the field, and provides a framework for all of us to deepen our skills. I'll be using these competencies as a guideline for improving my work, and to help grow the skillset of my team members.” 

Tanya Gadsby




 

“Models, such as the work in progress by the IFVP Institute, provide an exciting opportunity to further distinguish our profession and, moreover, bring us ways to clearly articulate how we grow in our purpose, our calling.

Such prospects excite me for our field. This enthusiasm led me to jump in, without hesitation, when receiving the invitation to contribute for a short time in the efforts of imagining how visual practice unfolds uniquely and collectively in our discipline. 

My wish for the future of this work is that we all might see ourselves, and unique developmental pursuits, in service of growing in our purpose, and as a community of practitioners.

Congratulations to the IFVP Institute on arriving at this moment. Onward and upward.”

Erin Gordon



 


"As a former IFVP Institute Board member and volunteer with IFVP over the years, I’ve participated in the conversation and process about naming some general core competencies with interest. To me, the process of reflecting upon and refining some competencies for our field is meaningful, because the roles of our work as visual practitioners is ever evolving and changing. When I was with the core working group, we wanted to explore many threads from many diverse people and perspectives. For me this is what it means: when I am a visual practitioner doing my best possible work what am I asked to embody, sense, create and feel, now and and stretching into the unknown future? 

Personally, I think reflecting on what each of us consider “core competencies” and a process of developmental evaluation can help our field with these conversations. And it’s not about setting a bar to keep people out, or to keep people in. It’s also not about making everyone the same, but instead about having frameworks/language that can hold multiplicities of experiences that each of us bring into this work/practice. It’s about engaging in the conversation of what makes the magic of our practice more visible at multiple levels: to ourselves as practitioners, with all the people and relationships in the room, with our field and colleagues, and even to the broader impact we ripple into systems and the world. 

Engaging in the conversation about core competencies helps give us a framework to start from - not end with. For me it’s not a checklist, it’s the beginning of engaging in many reflective conversations I hope to have for as long as I am doing this work.”

Sam Bradd




 

"In my previous career, I helped to facilitate the design and adoption of countless competency models for organizations and government agencies. More than any other model I’ve seen, the IFVP Institute’s competency model was designed with the intent of assisting the individual practitioner in growing their skills, sharpening their craft, and sharing the value of what they do."

Brian Tarallo




FAQ about competencies and certification

  

  • 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. 

RESEARCH AND RESOURCES ABOUT VISUAL PRACTICE

Dr Phil Bakelaar at Workshop -  2018 Global Conference at Rungstergard, Denmark - photo credit Orest Tabaka

Workshop -  2019 Global Conference at Montclair State University - photo credit Steve Weinstock

IFVP Institute Online Bibliography

Click on the button below to access the online bibliography about visual practice. Here we are gathering articles, publications and research related to our field.

online bibliography

Susan Kelly has a book for you! The Big Picture©

In 2019, she completed a book, which is based on what she has learned over the years as the best areas to focus on to create healthy, thriving organizations (and communities). In a nutshell, that would be a combination of People Intelligence, Process Intelligence and Visual Intelligence. The book is entitled The Big Picture: Breathing Life into Our Organizations.

It can be viewed free in its entirety at this link.

view free book here

Visual Practitioners Resources airtable

Add another resource to the Visual Practice Resources Airtable!

Click on the link below.

 Disclaimer: the presence of a resource here does not imply endorsement, this is a beta version of our database intended to gather initial information and allow for user experience feedback as we use an agile iteration approach to its development.

Thanks for helping us explore ways to bring value to the community!


ADD another resource here


Here is an embedded view of resources that have been entered, or click on the link below.

browse resources here

become a founding donor

DONATE NOW

Copyright © 2022 IFVP Institute - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by GoDaddy

  • About Us
  • What We Do
  • Events
  • Contact

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept