Facilitation Skills for Interpersonal Transformation (Kraybill)

This article focuses on the skills necessary for negotiating a conflict for interpersonal transformation. It talks about the moment-by- moment skills, the techniques for sustained dialogue, and the transformative process design. The section on moment-by-moment skills for interpersonal transformation is an extensive reiteration of a lot of the techniques discussed in intro to conflict resolution and mediation. It is important to paraphrase and what one party says to ensure effective listening and to depolarize what they are saying. It is also important to reframe what the parties are saying to try and get at the issues rather than positions and thus hopefully come up with a common ground. The techniques for sustained dialogue are a lot more interesting. The Samoan circle has two central chairs where people from opposing parties talk about the issues. There are also chairs in a semi-circle around them for others to sit in to make a comment or wait their turn for the center chair. Only the people in the chairs are allowed to be talking and everybody learns from what they are saying. The conflict spectrum is another technique. This is a visual technique where everybody places themselves on an “issue spectrum” corresponding to how extreme they feel their viewpoints on the subject are. Another private technique is interviewing key players to the conflict. This helps create an atmosphere of communication and engagement. The idea of transformative process focuses on the idea that the process of communication and negotiation can be more important than the content of the negotiation/conversation. A lot of group conflict can result from bad process. A good process involves a forum that is acceptable to all parties, all parties have representatives in the decision making and design of the process, is clear about its purpose, has a variety of forums, and has a feedback element. All of these elements require preparation and thought on the part of the facilitators.