A Path to Efficient, Collaborative Decision Making

Miki Kashtan, Certified NVC Trainer
Time Investment: 8 hours 34 minutes, plus handouts
Recorded in 2018

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 – 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 – 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: that people come together at the level of their underlying principles, needs, aspirations, and dreams, not at the level of their surface positions.

Convergent Facilitation is a highly efficient decision-making process developed by Miki Kashtan from the principles of Nonviolent Communication. It enables you to look beneath the surface and find the essence of what’s important to different stakeholders, and bring it together into one set of principles that lead to proposals and ultimately decisions. As a result, it readily produces solutions and decisions that everyone can embrace.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁:

• Taps into a group’s shared purpose, and leads to decisions that everyone truly supports – without sacrificing productivity, efficiency, and forward momentum.
• Is very versatile: it may be used for fast emergency responses, for breaking through bottlenecks, or collaborating throughout the life cycle of a long-term project.
• Gives you tools to address power differences to increase the chances that everyone at the table can offer their needs, ideas, and concerns and speak frankly about what really matters to them. It even works with highly polarized groups, like the longtime political enemies who used Convergent Facilitation to pass landmark legislation in Minnesota.

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿

If you work with groups that make decisions and need to collaborate effectively, this course is for you.

• Team leaders: Reap the benefits of whole-hearted collaboration; create genuine buy-in at all levels; enjoy a more cohesive team that makes better decisions informed by stakeholder needs.
• Community organizers and activists: Learn to bring people’s core concerns to the surface and reach consensus decisions where no one is marginalized – all while avoiding long, draining, and divisive meetings.
• Facilitators: Zoom in on the source of conflicts, and learn transformative, practical options that work even when your group seems completely stuck.
• Mediators: Receive new tools to help any number of parties work towards breakthrough solutions, using a process that is transparent to all.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝘆

• Practical, step-by-step process for discovering breakthrough solutions to problems, including those that seem unsolvable.
• Strategies that help people transcend conflicts, stretch beyond their initial positions, and embrace a decision that attends to everyone’s needs.
• Many ways of keeping a meeting moving forward without leaving anyone behind.
• Opportunities for ongoing coaching and development. Miki is passionate about cultivating a community of practice around Convergent Facilitation and her other work, and is launching the Nonviolent Global Liberation Apprenticeship Program and Learning Community for practitioners who are serious about using her approach. This will be an opportunity for you to connect with peers for many purposes, including coaching from Miki and others.

For more details, read this case study for a start-to-finish view of the Convergent Facilitation process and its transformative results.