Training available for Play facilitation from the Atlassian Team Playbook [no longer available]

[#1]

Important: as of August 2023, we will no longer be offering this training in lieu of other training available in development. The articles and Q&A will remain on the Community platform, but the certification for facilitating debriefing Plays in this iteration will be discontinued. Thank you for your interest and please continue to develop those facilitating skills!

---

tldr

We’re testing a new certification to help individuals learn how to facilitate Plays from the Atlassian Team Playbook. Read on to discover how you can take part!

Did you know

Plays* on the Atlassian Team Playbook are free workshop resources for addressing common team challenges and starting important conversations.

However, as a former product owner of Team Playbook and facilitator of many Plays for other teams, I know that a good facilitator can make or break the energy during a session. In fact, I’ve spoken to many teams who don’t run Plays because they can’t find an experienced facilitator.

Welp, that excuse ends now. Because we believe everyone who wants to improve their Play facilitation skills should be able to, we’re inviting an inaugural group of individuals to go through “Play facilitation training” to earn their Facilitation Certification.

---

^{*Side note: want to dive deeper into Playbook? Then check out our library of Plays. Find instructions for popular exercises such as retrospective, DACI, Roles and responsibilities, OKRs, and more.}

Team Playbook Facilitator training

Program requirements

1. Consumption of these articles.

• A facilitator’s overview of 4 Plays that center on debriefing

• How to facilitate meetings: a guide for Team Playbook users

• A facilitator's guide to running a Retrospective

• Atlassian Team Playbook blockers and how to overcome them

2. Based on the reading material, score at least 90% on a short quiz.

3. Submission of short videos simulating facilitation of specific parts of a Play.

4. Facilitation of one of these debriefing Plays:

• Retrospective
• 4 Ls
• Pre-mortem
• Health Monitor
• Ritual Reset
• Work Life Impact

(Note: you will need to provide proof of facilitation by recording your session, writing an article about it, or facilitating a team we provide you).

5. An article posted in the Teamwork Lab with a reflection on these experiences and lessons learned.

Are you interested?

If so, your journey begins by emailing me at cdelarosa@atlassian.com. Once you complete your training, you’ll get a document as proof of certification as well as an exclusive badge for your profile!

For general questions, drop notes in the comments section of this article.

[Margareta Buruian]

Awesome! Have emailed you for some further details

[Patrícia Fortunato Montenegro]

It's so cool @Christine P. Dela Rosa

Thanks for sharing. I'll look at it profoundly. 😃

[Suvradip Paul]

Thanks @Christine P. Dela Rosa  for sharing.

I have one basic query, do we have any timeline for completion for this certification?

[Bridget]

@Suvradip Paul - no timeline! Take your time - facilitation skills aren't built in a day 😀

[Suvradip Paul]

Thanks @Bridget for confirming . Well said! Definitely statement to believe and follow.

[Paloma Fondon Araujo]

Hi @Christine P. Dela Rosa 

Thanks for sharing! I have already sent you an email! 😉

Greetings!

[Bill Sheboy]

Hi, community!

Thanks for this training idea.  When interested in facilitating often, perhaps consider an improvement progression to develop your readiness/effectiveness to support others:

• find a coach for yourself on this topic/area
• learn about a method
• participate as a team member; self-retro to learn
• participate as an observer of another person facilitating; retro with the facilitator to learn
• pair with another facilitator; retro to learn
• facilitate with another facilitator observing; retro to learn
• free-solo; retro to learn
• coach someone else in the method; retro to learn
• repeat

Kind regards,
Bill

[Christine P. Dela Rosa]

I second that @Bill Sheboy. And so as not to repeat your suggested progression ProTip, I'll note that I was in awe watching my first few Plays, wasn't very good when I tried to facilitate my first session, but was 10x better in my second facilitation, and 10x better after that after applying feedback. It's that feedback + application iteration that has helped me over time.

[Fabian Lim]

Interested.  I sent you an email.

[Laura Holton _ACE Rotterdam_]

Thank you for the run through @Christine P. Dela Rosa 🙌

Colour me interested! I've popped over an email and I look forward to getting started 😄

[Fabienne Gerhard]

@nina_schmidt you should have a look at this one 🙂

[nina_schmidt]

Thanks @Fabienne Gerhard already saw this and would love to, but my schedule is packed… 

@Christine P. Dela Rosa any chance to get a rough estimate of the effort behind? 

[Christine P. Dela Rosa]

@nina_schmidt this is an open invitation that can start now or down in the future. Some folks may sprint through the 5-step program and finish as quickly as in a couple of weeks, but my guess is that it will spread over a much longer period of time. 

Also, you can start the program now, finish the first couple of steps, and then pick it up back up in a month or down in the future. It's up to you! 

[nina_schmidt]

Thanks @Christine P. Dela Rosa - count me in in December ☺️

[meghna_singh]

This is great! Thanks for sharing 

[G subramanyam]

Hi @Christine P. Dela Rosa I have emailed you to consider my entry to this play facilitation certification program.

Looking forward to hear from you with the next steps.

[Christine P. Dela Rosa]

The program is indeed still going on, @G subramanyam ! I’ll respond with more details via email :)

[Pramodh M]

Hi @Christine P. Dela Rosa 

Sent an Email for enrollment. Please let me know the next steps.

Thanks,
Pramodh

[Lani]

This is exciting - my email is flying through the sky as I type... 

[Andy Gladstone]

Adding this to my Q1 2022 goals! I'll be emailing @Christine P. Dela Rosa soon to get started (once I finish my 2021 goals that are still outstanding - nothing like a deadline to create a sense of urgency!)

[Marjorie]

Like @Andy Gladstone adding this to my yearly goals.

[Vero Rivas]

Hi @Christine P. Dela Rosa 

   Thanks for sharing, I have already sent you an email.

Cheers

[Alexander Bondarev]

Wow! Interesting program!

[Tuncay Senturk]

Cool! Thanks for sharing @Christine P. Dela Rosa 

[Darryl Lee]

That is awesome!!