FaciliTrainer’s PlayBook - Ganesh Dalvi

Where Structure Meets Soul in Facilitation

In the ever-evolving world of learning and development, few books manage to bridge experience with clarity the way FaciliTrainer’s Playbook appears to do. The title may sound playful, but make no mistake, this is a serious contribution to the craft of facilitation, built on decades of in-the-field wisdom.

Ganesh Dalvi, one of only five CPFM-certified facilitators in India, brings not just knowledge to these pages, but legacy. The cover’s light-hearted sketch art hints at approachability, but the credentials behind the book suggest depth and mastery. It’s this balance between rigor and relatability, that makes FaciliTrainer’s Playbook stand out, even before you dive into a single page.

The phrase on the cover, “Serious learnings… the FUNN way!” is more than a tagline. It’s a promise that this book doesn’t just teach, it transforms how facilitation can feel. Not heavy, not jargon-filled—but purposeful, human, and deeply engaging.

A Journey, Not Just a Manual

This isn’t just a how-to. It’s a reflection of a journey of one man’s path through over 25 years of corporate, HR, and L&D roles with iconic names like McDonald's and Reliance, now distilled into a book meant to support future facilitators with both direction and heart.

From the back matter, it’s clear the book was born not from intention alone, but from an encounter with the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) that turned into a calling. That origin story brings a certain humility to the project. It doesn’t come across as a top-down set of rules, but rather an offering of tools that have been earned through trial, reflection, and results.

The title “Playbook” is well-chosen. This isn’t a textbook. It’s likely a field guide. A toolkit. A companion. The kind you throw in your bag before a workshop, flip through the night before a session, or return to after a tough facilitation day to realign with purpose.

Built for the Ones Who Guide Others

Facilitators are rarely in the spotlight but they hold the room together. They design learning maps, navigate resistance, adapt mid-flow, and keep the energy real. FaciliTrainer’s Playbook seems to recognize that invisible labor and brings the support such professionals deserve.

The subtitle could easily be: for those who train, lead, and still choose to listen. Because facilitation isn’t just technique. It’s presence. Awareness. Adaptability. And this book, in tone and structure, honors that.

What’s especially notable is the book’s intent to simplify, not dumb down; the certification process for aspiring “Certified FaciliTraining Practitioners.” That matters, because so often in this field, gatekeeping stands in the way of good practice. Ganesh Dalvi clearly wants to change that. He’s not protecting knowledge, he’s passing it forward.

As his guiding mantra says: “The knowledge I receive is not mine to keep.”

That ethos alone makes this book more than a product. It makes it a service.

Final Thoughts

FaciliTrainer’s Playbook isn’t here to impress with complexity. It’s here to equip, to encourage, and perhaps most of all : to empower. It invites facilitators to step into the room with structure, yes; but also with story. With strategy, yes; but also with soul.

Whether you’re just starting out as a trainer, mentoring others, or designing high-energy OD programs for corporate giants, this book appears to be the kind of resource you’ll return to, not because you have to, but because it reminds you why you do what you do.

And in a field built on human potential, that reminder might be the most powerful tool of all.

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