Transforming How Groups Learn and Lead: Meet Certificate in Facilitation Director Rae Ringel
At UVA | Northern Virginia, Rae Ringel serves as the Director of the new Certificate in Facilitation program. With a strong background in facilitation and leadership development, Rae guides the program with a practical, learner-centered approach. We spoke with her about her journey into this field, what participants can expect from the certificate, and why these skills matter now more than ever.
Q: What is the Certificate in Facilitation program?
A: The Certificate in Facilitation program is a learning experience where people come to study and practice the craft of facilitation. It is in a hybrid format, so there are in-person components as well as virtual components because we believe that the facilitators need to be confident and skilled in every room, whether that is a physical room, a virtual room, or a hybrid room. It is a program that has a strong balance of theoretical and practical skills, really understanding design theory, and theory around how groups and teams work, and their dysfunction, as well as practical and tactical skills for how to move groups through productive change.
Q: Could you tell me about you and how you are affiliated with this program, and why you are a part of this program?
A: I have always from a young age been drawn to and intrigued by groups and teams. I think a part of that was being part of team sports and looking at the role of the coach and the role of the athletes, how they communicated, where things broke down, how did they build their sense of identity as a team and a group, and how did the coach or the athlete facilitate that process. I was always fascinated by that, and that continued into my young adulthood. In college, I was in an acapella group, which I think is a perfect metaphor for highly effective teams, how you can have ten different people doing ten different things at the same time and it sounds harmonious. The elements that go into making that beautiful sound, it’s the same thing for the workplace; what are the elements when you have ten different people doing ten different things and what do you need to do to make that an effective team or group? So I’ve always had an eye on that, and I think that’s probably why I was drawn in my career to dive deep into organizational behavior and organizational psychology, understanding how teams, systems, and organizations work, and in particular, how individuals contribute to those groups: what motivates them, what demotivates them, what promotes excellence, and what causes bad behavior that needs interventions. That’s kind of been a lifelong fascination to me and the work of facilitation really brings together my love for teaching, for coaching, and for bringing out the highest potential in people. It’s sort of all those practices mixed into one, which is what makes it so interesting, so dynamic, and so important right now.
Q: What makes this program stand out?
A: I think what makes this program stand out is that it’s not just about building tools in your toolkit. We spend a lot of time exploring personal presence and power, how we show up big in rooms, when we show up small, what are those triggers, and what is our identity. It’s really about the focus on who we’re being in the room, not just what we’re doing in the room. The “being” part, the inner work, is what makes our program stand out. We’re really trying to help people be more confident, fluent facilitators that are listeners, leaders, and in doing that, we are helping to fill people’s toolkits with lots of constructs and modalities and approach – all really applicable tools, but you can’t separate them from the person and the role the person plays in the room. People talk about this program being personally transformational in terms of helping people grow in their leadership capacities, while also giving them tons of tools and techniques they can immediately use at work, in their communities, in groups and teams, committees and boards, wherever they find themselves. I do think we are one of the only cohort-based programs out there, where it isn’t a one and done kind of situation; you are continuing a journey with a group of people who are on that journey for you and with you.
What makes our program unique is that in addition to the personal exploration and the professional development, you leave with a community of peers and colleagues who have shared experiences and speak a similar language in this field. We have 350 alumni of our program who are a real community. They share resources, they network, they work together and collaborate, and they really support and push one another. We have so much fun in this, while the learning is intense and we really push each other, this program is so joyful and just so fun.
Q: Why is facilitation so important?
A: First, a lot of people will leave meetings and experience saying, “I don’t know what just happened, but I do know I’ve just lost an hour of my life,” and that is not okay. We need to honor people’s time—time is important, time is money, time is valuable. I think there are a lot of meetings and gatherings that are not designed and not facilitated properly and it ends up being a waste of time. Nobody’s a winner in that situation. I think in a practical approach, just building in efficiencies, building in this idea of productive change, that something must be different when you enter a room and you leave a room, whether that’s a new feeling, knowledge, behaviors. So, the practical part about this is that facilitation helps us spend our time better with more intention and more purpose.
The larger issue is around navigating the complexity and tumult that is in our world today. Both in our economy, with political divides, if you extend further out with what’s happening in the world, there’s a lot of tension. With access to social media, more people are aware of it and absorbing it. People are coming into rooms and spaces with a lot of stuff, and it’s super charged. Facilitators can help mitigate some of that emotion, and help use it in a productive way, and also help create a space where people can have really difficult conversations where they disagree, where they can bring in their diverse selves, and it becomes healthy conflict and discourse as opposed to something that is breaking down relationships.
Q: What can learners expect from this program and who is the ideal learner/student?
A: If you work in any way that involves bringing people together, this program is for you. Our cohorts include every kind of professional who leads groups: coaches, consultants, and facilitators looking to level up their craft; teachers and educators who spend their days guiding learning; doctors, lawyers, artists, dancers, psychologists; even full-time volunteers who want to run more effective boards. If your work requires convening people – to decide, create, learn, problem-solve, or move forward – you belong here. And that’s most people, which is why we believe most people can benefit from this program. Will every single piece apply to your exact role? Probably not. But that’s beside the point. You’ll stretch, you’ll practice, you’ll learn, and you’ll have a great time doing it.
In terms of what you’re going to learn, you are going to learn many tools and skills around having presence in a room. You are going to learn real design methodology. We focus on human-centered design, and we’re taking that theory and applying it to how we design experiences as opposed to objects. Everything around design principles, people are going to learn. They’re going to learn a lot about groups and teams, and how they work, when they work, when they don’t work, and when it’s not working, what are live interventions, what are offline interventions, and how you deal with bad behavior in the group. Our students are going to learn probably 50 or 60 modalities, which are constructs, tools, ways to approach gathering people that are super creative and energizing.
Q: What is one of your favorite memories from past cohorts?
A: My favorite part is also the hardest part because it’s the last day of class. I’m always so sad when a cohort ends because the generosity and the spirit and the way the cohort bonds is just so special. On one hand, I don’t want it to end, but on the other hand, we curated a very special day on the last day where people apply all the skills, they’ve learned throughout the program to design an award for a classmate. They have to use the actual design cycle and present an award to a classmate for their unique contribution to the cohort. It’s such a beautiful way for people to flex their design skills and tools they’ve learned, but to express appreciation and gratitude for what someone else has given them. It is this incredible culmination and celebration of the learning and relationships.
About the Certificate in Facilitation Program
The Certificate in Facilitation (non-credit) is a cohort-based program for professionals who lead meetings, retreats, and multi-stakeholder conversations. Across three months, participants blend immersive, in person learning with focused virtual labs—building practical skills to design meaningful gatherings, guide courageous dialogue, and move groups to decisions and action.