Dialogue Scholar & Practitioner
Helping groups move from conflict to collaboration
When groups disagree, it doesn't always get better on its own.
Through dialogue facilitation and leadership development training, I help groups hold complex conversations that surface what matters and build shared understanding.
Is This Your Situation?
Some circumstances that benefit from dialogue facilitation:
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Two departments, factions, or communities with a long-standing conflict affecting the work
A leadership team divided into competing camps
Team members who no longer trust one another after a difficult project
A merger, restructuring, or ownership change that's created "us vs. them" dynamics
Staff divided along cultural or linguistic lines, with "insider" and "outsider" camps
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A board divided into competing factions over strategic direction
A board and its executive or senior leadership caught in a breakdown of trust
A governing body split over how authority should be shared
An international school board split between long-term local members and rotating expatriate members with different priorities
A board struggling to govern effectively as members turn over faster than institutional knowledge can transfer
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A new strategic plan or set of values that hasn't caught on in practice
Employees or community members resisting a major restructuring
A transition to new leadership, especially following a long-tenured predecessor
High staff turnover at an international school, leaving the community to rebuild relationships year after year
An organization redefining its mission, identity, or priorities
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Political or ideological tension causing disruption
Sharply different perspectives on a policy, curriculum, cultural, or language choice
An international school community divided over host-culture versus home-country curriculum
A debate over how — or whether — to address topics that touch multiple identities in the community
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An organization or institution seeking real input on a contested decision
Stakeholders divided over resources, priorities, or direction
Families, residents, or members from different backgrounds clashing over norms or expectations
An institution working to rebuild trust with a community it's underserved
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Layoffs or leadership departures that have left a community needing to rebuild trust
A public controversy or incident that's damaged stakeholder trust
A failed initiative or difficult evaluation an organization wants to learn from without assigning blame
If your situation isn't listed here, that doesn't mean it doesn't fit. Get in touch to talk through it.
What I Do.
Intergroup Facilitation
When people disagree about priorities, values, or what to do next, I design and guide the process that helps them actually hear each other.
I work with organizations navigating internal conflict or change, communities facing local disputes, and civic groups bringing together stakeholders with real differences. In every case, the job is the same: create a better conversation that leads to real movement forward.
How It Works
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Every conversation is different, and so is every format. I use theory and experience to decide whether a large group forum, small circles, or one-on-one mediated talks will serve the group best. Then I sequence the conversation deliberately, building trust before asking people to tackle the harder material.
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I manage turn-taking, monitor group and power dynamics, keep the conversation on track, and make sure no single voice dominates the room.
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My role isn't to tell people what to think. I use open-ended, non-leading questions that help participants articulate their own views and truly hear each other's.
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I don't advocate for a particular outcome. My job is to make the process work, not to win the argument.
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Difficult conversations bring up real feelings. I de-escalate tension, name what's unspoken in the room, and keep things constructive even when the conversation gets heated.
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I summarize points of agreement, disagreement, and nuance so the group can see its own thinking more clearly.
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A good conversation should lead somewhere. For longer engagements, I track whether agreements and action items are actually followed through on.
"The problems that even the most practical organizations have — in improving their performance and obtaining the results they desire — can be traced directly to their inability to think and talk together, particularly at critical moments."
— William Isaacs
How Dialogue Facilitation Is Different.
It's tempting to want someone to walk in with a quick fix or to broker a deal between two sides, but group conflict is rarely a simple technical problem or a two-party dispute: it's a complex system of stakeholders, history, and relationships that no outside expert can fully diagnose or settle with a single agreement.
A consultant solves an explicit, technical problem. A mediator helps two specified parties reach a resolution for a defined dispute. Both are valuable, and I draw on mediation training in my own practice, but neither is designed for a whole group whose ability to work together has broken down. That takes a process built for many stakeholders and open-ended understanding.
My job is to build the conditions where your group can work through its own complexity by surfacing what's truly going on, hearing across difference, and coming to greater shared understanding. This enables you to navigate disagreement and next steps on your own.
Let’s Talk!
Interested in a facilitation, training, retreat, or keynote?
Let me know how I can help.