Elevate your facilitation skills and become the catalyst for meaningful change in any fatherhood program. Taught by NFI President Christopher Brown, the on-demand Effective Facilitation Certificate™ from National Fatherhood Initiative® (NFI) explores the essential characteristics and techniques of successful facilitators. 

Through engaging lessons focused on adult learning principles and proven facilitation methods, you’ll learn how to create a dynamic environment that resonates with participants, encourages meaningful interaction, and inspires sustained growth in fathers. This self-paced training provides the flexibility to fit professional development into your schedule. 

Completion Time

• Minimum 6 hours, self-paced
• Students are given 60 days to complete the course.

Topics Covered

• Part 1: The Facilitator – Characteristics and Skills
  Discover what differentiates outstanding facilitators and how to embody these qualities in your facilitation practice.
• Part 2: The Participants (Fathers) – Learning Styles, Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose, and Cognitive Biases
  Gain a deeper understanding of how adults learn, the unique motivations that guide fathers, and how to address cognitive biases that can impede progress.
• Part 3: Facilitation – Your Role, Preparation, and Techniques
  Learn how to prepare for each session, employ proven facilitation strategies, and refine your style to maximize engagement and results.

Learning Objectives
After completing this training, you will be able to:

• Implement effective facilitation techniques tailored explicitly for fatherhood programs, ensuring each session is engaging, practical, and results-driven.
• Apply adult learning principles to create sessions that respect participants’ autonomy, encourage mastery, and strengthen their sense of purpose.
• Recognize and address cognitive biases and other barriers to learning so you can keep sessions on track toward positive outcomes.
• Build confidence and credibility as a facilitator by mastering session preparation, delivery, and follow-up best practices.

Features & Benefits

• Expert Guidance: Learn facilitation approaches and strategies honed by nearly three decades of NFI’s work with human service organizations.
• Enhanced Engagement: Master adult learning styles and motivational factors to effectively reach and inspire fathers.
• Flexible, On-Demand Access: Study at your own pace within a 60-day window, making it ideal for busy professionals.
• Professional Recognition: Earn your Certificate of Completion and a web badge after passing a brief exam, and showcase your new expertise to colleagues and employers.

Who Should Enroll

• Facilitators of NFI or any other fatherhood programs. 
• Supervisors of facilitators of a fatherhood program.
• Anyone looking for professional development around improving their facilitation of any kind of program, especially those attended by fathers (e.g. parenting, substance-abuse, job-readiness, etc.).

Take the next step toward becoming a more impactful facilitator and driving success in fatherhood programs. Enroll today!

Meet Your Trainer

Christopher A. Brown is the President of National Fatherhood Initiative®. An applied anthropologist with more than 25 years of experience in the fatherhood field, he earned his B.A. from the University of North Texas and his M.A. from the University of South Florida. 

Christopher is the designer of the nation’s most widely-used evidence-based and research-based fatherhood programs and resources, a trainer of thousands of fatherhood practitioners, and has been a member of many advisory committees on federally-funded fatherhood initiatives. He most recently served on the advisory committee of the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network (frpn.org).