You get extra value when we facilitate meetings. Because we are also mediators, you automatically gain expertise in conflict resolution should it be needed during a meeting. Before the meeting, we spend considerable time with you defining the deliverables needed from the meeting. We continue working with you to design a facilitation approach tailored to your specific needs. We create a detailed agenda to meet those needs. During the meeting, we moderate the discussion to ensure that participation is robust and that your meeting does not get side-tracked, bogged down with trivia, or dominated by strong personalities. When the meeting is over we help you create a meeting record to firmly document outcomes. And, we typically create a meeting evaluation, so you can plan an even better meeting next time.

Conflict Management

If you have a conflict and you need the parties to agree on how to move forward, an explicit dispute resolution process can help to both reach an agreement and create respectful working relationships needed for future collaborations. Look to us for:

• Mediation. When your solution must simultaneously find a creative compromise and build positive future relationships, mediation is the right choice. This option is attractive to stakeholders because they feel in control as they work to jointly decide on a solution instead of having a solution imposed upon them. We use face-to-face and remote meetings to improve communication and negotiate lasting agreements, usually in writing.

• Conciliation. When the issue is small and you just need to find an agreement so you can move forward, use conciliation. Using a form of shuttle diplomacy, we talk separately with parties (usually by phone but occasionally in-person) to seek compromises. The parties are asked to make offers which we broker back and forth until there is an acceptable agreement—a solution that all parties accept with the stipulation that it will end the dispute.

Training

When you want to transfer skills to larger segments of your workforce, we provide training. Using adult learning principles, participant-centered curricula, and interactive teaching, we provide ‘how-to’ workshops on:

Persuasive Presentations—The person whose message sounds like the most sensible path into the future will define the way. Make sure that person is you. Strong oral and written presentation skills will get you message across and make it stick.

Brief Briefings that Get Read—When there is intense competition to get people to read your material, you need to get your message down to one page or it is likely to not be read. Gain the edge with busy people who are tempted to skip over your important briefing documents. 

Facilitating Meetings—Gain skills to create shorter, more effective meetings that produce a concrete work product and build positive working relationships among the participants. Transform meetings from just talking to meetings that produce a tangible output.

Effective Online Meetings—Learn techniques for having high-engagement, online meetings that produce results. You’ll gain tools and tips for online information sharing, problem identification, situation analysis, options evaluation, and making a concrete decision, all while keeping attendees engaged and contributing.

PDQ Project Planning—Deal with today’s work environment where project teams are expected to deliver solid outcomes with tight budgets, heavy workloads, and short timelines—all with high expectations for the cooperative teamwork. This interactive, results-oriented workshop teaches practical skills for increasing effectiveness (doing the right things), increasing efficiency (doing things right), and, along the way, demonstrating leadership with the diverse stakeholders involved in a project.

Conflict Management—Learn how to diagnose the sources of conflict, how to diplomatically intervene, how to deal with anger, how to craft a successful dispute resolution process, and how to get durable, lasting agreements that build productive working relationships at the same time. This is our most popular workshop.

Managing Difficult Conversations­—Learn methods and techniques for managing conversations to coach, negotiate, and direct people to higher performance.

Keynote Speaking