Designing & Facilitating Reflective Structured Dialogue

Formerly titled Basic EP Facilitation, this two-day workshop will teach participants to facilitate and design Reflective Structured Dialogue. You'll learn EP's tools to hold space for tough conversations in daily life, in your community, at your workplace, or during formal dialogue sessions.

The Essential Partners framework promotes connection and curiosity between those who see each other as enemies. For three decades, our unique approach has transformed conflicts across the country and the world—but the basic principles of the EP’s framework are applicable to local community issues, organizational development, congregations, and everyday conversations.

Intentional communication helps individuals, organizations, and communities build trust, enhance resilience, and engage in constructive conversations despite deeply-held differences of value, belief, opinion, or identity. This workshop is designed to help participants develop a powerful set of tools to achieve those goals and adapt them to meet the needs of their contexts.

Objectives:

• To learn the theory and practice of EP’s Reflective Structured Dialogue framework;
• To design and structure conversations to meet a group’s purposes and needs;
• To build competence and confidence in facilitating through challenging moments;
• To prepare participants and one’s self to deal with challenges in the room.

As a result of this two-day workshop, you will be equipped to:

• Create a context for people to communicate about difficult or divisive topics;
• Break destructive communication habits;
• Design conversations, dialogues, or meetings with clear purpose, full participation, and a structure for moving forward;
• Intervene to facilitate through rough spots in the conversation.

Who might participate:

• Civic leaders and advocates
• Educators and administrators
• Corporate and nonprofit managers
• Human resources professionals
• Clergy and lay religious leaders
• Therapists or social workers
• Alternative dispute resolution professionals

Host or Publisher Essential Partners