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Introduction:
Robert Stains, program director of the Public Conversations Project,
talks about a a de-centric approach to facilitation in which the facilitator tries
to stay out of the participants' conversation as much as possible. He thinks that dialogue
facilitators should be nearly invisible.
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This rough transcript provides a text alternative to audio. We apologize for occasional errors and unintelligible sections (which are marked with ???).
De-centric Facilitation
Robert Stains
Program Director, Public Conversations Project, Watertown, Massachusetts
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A: The way that we tend to
facilitate our dialogues is a lot different than many approaches to
facilitation. I call it the de-centric facilitator. In most models of
facilitation, certainly the way that I was trained initially as a facilitator and a
therapist, I was taught that I was the hub of the wheel, and that I was in
center of the room. I was making sure that the communication flowed between
people, and in some ways people went through me. I think of what we do as being
on the outer edge of the conversation, tending the structure that people have
signed on to, and giving a little support here or there, but keeping the space
between people free.
Q: Well, it sounds like instead of the conduit for the discussion that you're
almost an observer. Maybe less active than the common facilitator.
A: The best compliment is when, like after we did our first Anglican
dialogue, and we were evaluating it, a couple of the bishops said that the
facilitation was so wonderfully effective and it was nearly invisible. So I
thought that's how it should be. If we can fade into the woodwork, we are doing
our job.
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