DiaPraxis:

Dynamic Facilitation

Originally created by Jim Rough, this non-linear approach to hosting powerful choice-creating conversations is particularly appropriate for complex and "impossible-to-solve" challenges.

For clients, this process yields highly effective, creative, and practical outcomes, with notable group energy and commitment.

As facilitators, this practice helps us to become more skilled and comfortable with:

• conflict as life energy

• working with advocacy

• working with emotions

• drawing out creativity

• navigating unexpected situations

To date, this leading-edge practice has been spreading the most in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. While offering its own unique gifts, it is also very compatible with other emergence-based practices, such as Open Space, World Cafe, and Appreciative Inquiry.

Here is a video where you can see Dynamic Facilitation being used to "surface corporate elephants" in a creative, constructive, and energizing manner. 

Publications

"Co-creative Dialogue for Meeting Practical Challenges" is an article recently pubished in OD Practitioner's special issue on "Dialogic OD". It describes some examples of Dynamic Facilitation in action, as well as some of the underlying principles behind this approach.

"Practical Dialogue" was published in "Creating a Culture of Collaboration", a book edited by Sandor Schuman. This chapter explores some parallels between Dynamic Facilitation, Dialogue Mapping, and large-group applications of Transformative Mediation.

I've also authored the Dynamic Facilitation manual, with the intention of making this "social technology for co-intelligence" as  widely available as possible. Print copies can be purchased from DFA. 

If you'd like a complementary pdf version, you can contact me to request one. The DF manual is also currently available in Spanish, German, and Russian.

Learning the practice of Dynamic Facilitation

In addition to the public workshops listed on the sidebar, you also contact me to schedule customized in-house workshops.