Workshops

Conflict awareness tools to work with physiological impacts, habitual reactions, and stress patterns.

Stress will naturally arise due to differences between individuals and groups. De-escalate the situation with early awareness and mindfulness of what is actually happening, not what you wish was happening. Conflict can be a positive force for change.

The art of silence and how to use it, includes applied conflict de-escalation skills and purposeful questions to help explore the context of differences and escalating conflict. 

Each of us, mediators and participants alike, have a role to play in keeping stressful encounters productive. In these scenarios, our brain is trying to listen, learn, engage, integrate and assert, while is is compromised by stress. Be curious about the context of the situation. Ask purposeful questions to learn more about concerns, urgency, or intensity.

Cross-sector engagement framework to promote active participation and awareness of biases that demean and get in the way of meaningful conversations. 

Individuals and groups build meaning over time based on personal, direct experiences and thoughts about those experiences. Mental pathways of thinking can add to misperceptions, generalizations, and errors often leading to misguided beliefs. Biases add heat to conflict encounters.

Practice forming assertive statements for times you must take a stand or share an unpopular view. Shift awareness to critical issues that must be heard. 

Being civil does not mean being silent. Civil discourse and deliberation is a set of attitudes, behaviors and skills that support thoughtful, fact and values-based discussions when folks do come to the table to talk. Let people know what you care about and how you see things differently.

Invent options for mutual gains and identify pathways to advance shared concerns or bridge differences. 

Some conflicts are more than misunderstandings. Honor the differences revealed and continue learning from them rather than pretending the differences are trivial or do not exist. Awareness and recognition come first; creativity and solutions follow. 

Learn inclusive leadership and community engagement strategies that respectfully build on differences that can arise in honest or rigorous conversations.

Being civil does not mean being silent. It does not mean avoiding contentious issues. On the contrary, healthy disagreement is central to a robust, flourishing democracy. Civil dialogue strengthens policy. Only by considering all sides is it possible to make progress while keeping everyone’s dignity and rights intact.