Building relationships, crafting agreement from disagreement – ALARA Conversation

A Conversation with Bob Dick

Though it was a hard lesson, Bob eventually learned that relationships are important. When they are sound, everything else is easier. For an educator, a facilitator, coach or change consultant, developing and maintaining good relationships provides a sound foundation for effective work.

Resolving conflicts is sometimes regarded as a sophisticated and rare skill. Perhaps. What is clear is that there are learnable processes for clarifying communication, building partnerships, and alleviating conflict. The processes are robust enough to work well even for relative novices.

In this conversation we’ll examine processes for building relationships and, as necessary, managing disagreement. We’ll discuss the sources of their effectiveness. We’ll explore how they can create agreement from disagreement. We’ll practise using some of them in enjoyable and unthreatening activities. There will be informative handouts.

Bob Dick is an independent scholar and occasional academic who uses action research, action learning and facilitation skills to help communities and organisations manage change. He has many interests, one of which is designing and facilitating robust and learnable processes for enhancing relationships, reaching agreement, and overcoming disagreements and conflicts.

Where: 2/27 Jordan Terrace, Bowen Hills, QLD 4006.  Street parking is available. Bus stop 9 Breakfast Creek Road, and Bowen Hills railway station, are within walking distance (400-500 m).

When: Thursday 6 April 2017 5.30 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.

This first conversation for 2017 is free. You are welcome to bring food and drink to share.

R.S.V.P. Please email or text Bob Dick bd@bigpond.net.au or 0418 759 496.  You don’t have to be an ALARA member to attend.

ALARA is a strategic network of people interested or involved in using action learning or action research to generate collaborative learning, research and action to transform workplaces, school, colleges, universities, communities, voluntary organizations, governments and business.

ALARA’s vision is that action learning and action research will be widely used and publicly shared by individuals and groups creating local and global change for the achievement of a more equitable and, just and joyful, productive and sustainable society.