What specific skills or knowledge does the instrument cover?
The FSI describes twenty skills that are essential to the effective practice of facilitation. These twenty skills are organized into four categories: core skills, personal deportment, group management, and process management.

What types of questions are in the instrument?
The FSI is an observation - based instrument. The twenty skills are described in detail so that they can be easily observed and rated by a skilled facilitator.

How is the assessment scored?
Observers make detailed notes while watching the facilitator in action. They then score the facilitator on a scale of 1 to 5 in each of the twenty elements of performance. The scores are transferred onto a scoring sheet that provides a profile of the facilitator’s performance in each of the four skill categories, plus an overall score.

What is the assessment designed to measure?
The FSI is designed to assess the extent to which facilitators exhibit the twenty skills described in the instrument. The scoring process identifies whether a facilitator is operating at the Developing, Accomplished, or Advanced level.

How are the results presented, and what do they reveal?
After the observed session, detailed feedback is provided to the facilitator in a private session. The facilitator can ask questions and receive helpful suggestions for improvement. The facilitator is also given a copy of the observation notes so that he or she can use that information to create a personal development plan. The notes reveal the areas in which the facilitator performed well, in addition to those areas that would benefit from further development. If the organization plans to provide certficates of achievement to facilitators, the scored results are provided to the person administering the instrument.

Who is the Facilitation Skills Inventory designed for?
The FSI has been designed to assist anyone who wishes to improve his or her facilitation capabilities. This is a very broad group that includes leaders of process improvement teams, project managers, leaders of new product start - ups, consultants managing complex contracts, teachers who work in a team - teaching environment, and community leaders who conduct public meetings. It also includes front - line supervisors who have been recast as team leaders and managers shifting to a more facilitative leadership style.

How long does the program take to complete?
Participants should expect to spend from thirty to sixty minutes reading the FSI descriptor and completing a self - assessment. The reflection questions in the Participant Guide take an additional thirty minutes to complete. It is recommended that the observed session be ninety minutes in length. At the conclusion of that session, the facilitator can expect to take part in a feedback session of about an hour’s duration.

What’s unique or different about this instrument?
While a number of facilitator competency assessments currently do exist, no single instrument is currently well known or widely used. Also, most of the currently available instruments appear to have been developed without the degree of testing and validation needed. The FSI identifies a clear standard of performance that can be used to anchor training activities and to guide hiring decisions. No other facilitation skills instrument is as well positioned to become ubiquitous in the field.

How has the assessment been verified and tested?
The FSI is based on content analysis of facilitator skills in task group processes. Nine expert facilitators contributed to the first draft. A panel of four facilitators refined the inventory, and a final panel of three subject – matter experts indicated their concurrence on the skill and weights associated with facilitation. A pilot study was conducted to determine the reliability of the FSI. While the sample was relatively small due to the difficulty of identifying organizations willing to release the data, the outcome showed that the FSI, when used by skills observers, to be a reliable inventory capable of identifying a facilitator’s performance level.