Beyond Intractability: A Free Knowledge Base on More Constructive Approaches to Destructive Conflict
Introduction:
Sallyann Roth, co-founder of the Public Conversations Project,
suggests that facilitators should be aware of the gap between their
intentions and the actual effects. This will help them to become reconnected to the
dialogue or training process so that they can try again.
This rough transcript provides a text alternative to audio. We apologize for occasional errors and unintelligible sections (which are marked with ???).
The Gap Between Intentions and Effects
Sallyann Roth
Family Therapist, Trainer, and Co-Founder of the Public Conversations Project,
in Watertown, Massachusetts
Everything we do, whether
we are asking a question, or designing a conversational structure, we are always
planning. We want it to have certain effects. But the effects that we have and
the intentions that we have are never going to be exactly aligned. So another
piece that we try to get to in the training is to create a sense of mindfulness
about the gap between intentions and effects.
...
A responsible facilitator
is always mindful of the gap and always trying to reduce it and doesn't feel
awful when there is a gap. It's not that you've done something wrong mostly,
it's that you need to step back and get reconnected to try again. It becomes a
learning experience, as opposed to a failure experience.
Someday they'll give a war and nobody will come. -- Carl Sandburg
Featured Links Organizations Making Noteworthy Contributions to Efforts to Promote More Constructive Conflict Frameweb
Other Resources from Beyond Intractability Interview With Morton Deutsch One of the founders of this field talks about his research into "malignant relationships."
Nobel Peace Prize Winners
League of Red Cross Societies 1963 Nobel Peace Laureate; now known as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
The Beyond Intractability Knowledge Base Project Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess, Co-Directors and Editors c/o Conflict Information Consortium(Formerly Conflict Research Consortium), University of Colorado Campus Box 580, Boulder, CO 80309 Phone: (303) 492-1635; Fax: (303) 492-2154; Contact
