IAF Global Book Club SIG

04/02/2026

02/05/2026

We had the pleasure of facilitating in a wonderful session with facilitators from various countries, where we shared our stories about impactful books. It was fascinating to discover how many books have influenced us and how many remain unopened on our shelves. We are grateful to our colleagues who co-created a book list for our reading journey in 2026.

Starting in March, we will delve into Collaborating with the Enemy by Adam Kahane, with our mentor Lawrence Philbrook, Dir ICA leading the session, with Ameena Bukhari, Roopshree Surana, Monica Sharma Plawat and Kavitha Talreja .

In April, we will shift our focus to The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless. We are fortunate to have our Taiwan facilitators, Connie Tsai and Eric Tseng, to create a supportive space for our exploration, supported by Ameena Bukhari, Lowene Chan and Linmin (Michelle) Zhang

If you have any book recommendations, please visit our Miroboard to add your suggestions, along with your name and how you’d like to be involved in this journey. The link is here: https://lnkd.in/dbAYFRWG

We will do our best to make it happen.

Are you ready to join us? We’d love to have you on board!

International Association of Facilitators - IAF

01/30/2026

✨ Carrying the Torch, Expanding the Power of Facilitation! ✨

A heartfelt thank you to Kimberley Bain for generously facilitating our Book Club session on the final chapter. 🌟 During this wonderful and insightful session, Kimberly Bain and Lawrence Philbrook, Dir ICA shared their stories and practices in facilitation. By addressing the ethical dilemmas we face as facilitators, they reminded us that these principles must be embodied in our daily practices, not just words on paper.

Though we’ve reached the final chapter of The Power of Facilitation, our one-year program marks the beginning of a new era! 🚀 We’re excited to announce that the Tamil translation will kick off in just a few days by Dr. Nalini Rajesh and Ramesh Srinivasan, and the Traditional Chinese version by Amy S.J., Chen is about to launch. We eagerly anticipate the conversations that will arise from our ongoing exploration of books! 📚

A BIG thank you to everyone who participated in our sessions, making this journey meaningful! 🙏 Special appreciation to our facilitator friends who held the space for us to explore who we are and why we chose this path.

We look forward to more adventures together! 🌈

Join us by participating in our live sessions, recommending your favorite books, or facilitating conversations that enhance our facilitation practices. Let’s keep the momentum going! 💬

International Association of Facilitators - IAF

12/26/2025

𝗜𝗔𝗙 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 - 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟵 - “𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀!"

Explore with the readers, about how the power of facilitation has made an impact in your life. We want to hear about your experiences in this area.

- How have you used the power of facilitation?
- What impacts have you witnessed or been a part of?
- How would you like to use the power of facilitation to change the world?

Join us for the conversation, ask questions and share your own examples of the power of facilitation.

Facilitators: Kimberly Bain - CPF | Master, Linmin (Michelle) Zhang - CPF, Nalini Rajesh & Annagrace R.

Register Here:

IAF Global Book Club - Chapter 9 - “Conclusion & Final Thoughts!" Explore with the readers, about how the power of facilitation has made an impact in your life.

12/18/2025

𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗲𝘀. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. 🚀

Most "reflection" sessions feel like a chore—a checklist of tasks and a race to the finish.

On December 18, the IAF Global Reading Group SIG proved that when you strip away the complexity, something profound happens. Facilitators from Asia, Africa, and the Americas gathered to explore Chapter 7 of " The Power of Facilitation" and the results were a wake-up call for anyone in the business of human connection.

In just 35 minutes of in-depth dialogue, we moved from envisioning the future to a structured "Reflection Canvas." The result? Our abstract ideas settled into clear presentations of our inner needs and professional values.

The session was facilitated by Barbara MacKay and Rosanna von Sacken, M.Sc., CPF/Master and supported by Farah Ismail and Kavitha Talreja, there were 3 Key Takeaways from the Circle:

* 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆: We must acknowledge the human being, not just the human "doing." True facilitation makes the whole person visible.
* 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗹: The simpler the tools and the clearer the process, the more space there is for authentic dialogue.
* 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘅𝗲𝘀: Reflection isn’t about filling in a template; it’s about the messy, beautiful clarification that happens behind the scenes.

A huge thank you to the facilitators whose deep listening, curiosity, and compassion created a "brave space" of trust and safety.

The Power of Facilitation Linmin (Michelle) Zhang Lawrence Philbrook, Dir ICA Patricia Nunis Ameena Bukhari Bharti Maru Amy Chan Manish Singh Dr. Nalini Rajesh Himanshu Agarwal Devang Patel and many more.

International Association of Facilitators - IAF

12/05/2025

🌍✨ International Volunteer Day ✨🌍

To the backstage heroes of the IAF Global Reading Club SIG: THANK YOU for changing the world—one conversation at a time. 💖

👀 Spotlight on: our BookClub SIG volunteers!

For 11 months their professionalism, passion & persistence have teleported the The Power of Facilitation across 🕐 time-zones, 🗣️ languages & 🌏 cultures—straight into our growth journeys.

📚 Who we are: a learning lab that ignores borders

Born Jan 2025 → 29 online sessions | English, Chinese and Japanese | 408 paticipants | 10 countries | 5 continents

We don’t just read—we facilitate:

🔍 strategy vs. facilitation

💬 talking THROUGH conflict

🚀 spotting hidden talent in teams

🪞 mirroring facilitation back into life

All made possible by volunteer super-powers! 🦸‍♀️🦸‍♂️

🙌 Big shout-out to the heros and heroines:
Stephen Berkeley, Kavi Arasu, Yen Kai Lye, Hector Villarreal Lozoya, CPF, DASM, Roopshree Surana, Martin Gilbraith, Dr. Rajeev Ranjan, Gandharv Bhagat, Farah Ismail, Dr. Nalini Rajesh, Sengu P**l, Jackie Chang, CPFM, Lowene Chan, Annagrace R., Sumiyo Shiina, Xin Li, Sunny Wang, Jessica Jin, Amy S.J., Chen, Ameena Bukhari, Bharti Maru, Patricia Nunis, Kavitha Talreja, Linmin (Michelle) Zhang, and our dear mentor Lawrence Philbrook, Dir ICA.

🕊️ Our takeaway:

“Facilitation is not what an org does, but how it thinks.” — The Power of Facilitation.

You LIVE that line. You turn facilitation from a job title into a life choice—choosing to hold the torch for others. 🔦

May the light you give come back to light your path. ✨

International Association of Facilitators - IAF


📚

11/27/2025

Thank you, Martin Gilbraith, for sharing the background stories about the book-editing journey on The Power of Facilitation and for your honest reflections on learning to bridge communication and facilitation.

With Kavitha Talreja, Lawrence Philbrook and Gandharv Bhagat holding the space, we dived deep into how the chapter lands for us as practitioners—slides that once lit up IABC stages and the playful energy that fills IAF rooms.

From difference to common ground, from debate to gentle agreement (and back again), the gaps are wide—but walkable when we stand in each other’s shoes and listen with open hearts.

To everyone who participated, facilitated or simply paused to think—thank you for making this a true learning journey. May you carry the insights into whatever hat you wear next.

That’s the power of putting our heads together.



International Association of Facilitators - IAF

11/20/2025

到年底了，欢迎大家一起来盘点今年都读了什么书？有什么收获（或者没有也很好）？如果有一本书要推荐给其他朋友，会是哪本？

本次线上的共聚会由Jessica和欣然两位未来引导界新星以故事引导的方式，跟大家一起探索哦！

晒书咖啡馆 When December 20, 2025     1:00 pm Asia/Shanghai - 3:00 pm Asia/Shanghai Download ICS Google Calendar iCalendar Office 365 Outlook Live Where 点击注册 Event Type Special Interest Group 书，是一个奇妙的容器。它承载故事，也安放我们阅读那一刻的思绪....

11/19/2025

What does “Critical Thinking” mean to you—and why is it a super-power every facilitator must sharpen?

How can it help our client groups not just survive, but thrive?
As Debbie Roberts’ brilliant graphic (from The Power of Facilitation ) reminds us, diversity is rocket-fuel—and images build world-views faster than words. Critical thinking isn’t about nit-picking; it’s the helicopter view that lets us see the whole system in one sweep.

So, look again at Debbie’s drawing:
What story does it tell you?
What feeling lands in your body?
How do you interpret the colours, lines, energy?
What spark do you take into your own practice—and how might you use graphics to light the way for others?

We'd love to hear your insights—one image, a thousand possibilities.

International Association of Facilitators - IAF