Navigating Divisive Conversations

Designed for anyone grappling with how to be a bridge-builder in their life, in what may be an otherwise divisive environment. The tools learned in this workshop can be applied wherever one has relationships: work, family, social media and beyond.

Duration: 2 hours long;
Where: ATX or via Zoom
When: Available on a rolling basis - Please contact us to be on waiting list!
Cost: Sliding scale. Please contact us to discuss!

Facilitators’ Training

This is a full-day training designed for a small group of folks with a variety of facilitation experience. We contextualize the conversation-centered training to the specific needs of a given group. TCL provides a highly interactive environment to consider critical ways to set up a group dynamic and/or dialogue for success, deal with commonly feared obstacles and challenges and engage meaningful strategies. We apply these concepts to case studies and participants’ specific contexts and endeavors. See below for testimonials about this training!

• Facilitators’ Post-Training Coaching
  Those who have completed TCL Facilitators’ Training are eligible to follow up by facilitating a TCL dialogue with the coaching and evaluative assistance of a TCL facilitator.

Praise for TCL Facilitators’ Training

"Carrie is a facilitation genius. Her strategies for setting dialogue up for success, as well as what to do when things go sideways, are so practical and helpful. I felt like lightbulbs were going off in my brain all day! This training really is a masterclass in pastoral care and pastoral self-care."
- Rev. Natalie Webb of Worcester, Massachusetts: October 2020 virtual training

“Rev. Graham brings a depth of experience with dialogue facilitation that she graciously shares with attendees.  This isn't a workshop about how to have a better conversation or the top-ten ways to convince your friends and confuse your enemies.  This is an opportunity to learn from a person with deep knowledge on a technique that helps individuals and groups get to the heart of a topic and really think about what it means to them for the purpose of humanizing both those meanings and the other people who hold them.”

- TCL Pagan dialoguer and Iliff Seminary MDiv student David Dashifen Kees of Alexandria, Virginia: February 2020 in-person training at TCL’s DC Summit

“The training provided was solid, well thought through, and grounded in real experiences. I appreciated both the direction as well as the spaciousness to ask questions. I will be a better facilitator because of this training!” - Rev. Laura Murray of Dallas, Texas: October 2020 virtual training

“TCL’s Facilitators Training taught me a methodology and process for engaging groups in difficult conversations. It was exactly what I needed for my professional growth, and the teaching is easy to apply to my context in higher education. I was able to join the training digitally, saving me the time and resources of traveling to a conference, and it remained personal and engaging even through the online format. Carrie’s joy in training made for a delightful day! I highly recommend the training!” - Lori Galambos, Director of 1 Campus 1 Community and the Wellspring Living-Learning Community at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi: November 2019 hybrid virtual and in-person training

TCL’s Lunch-&-Learn

Unsure what avenue is right for you? Keep an eye out on our events page and our newsletter (sign up at the bottom of this page) for our hybrid IRL and online Lunch-And-Learn sessions. This is a 2-hour session in which you can bring your brown bag of yum food with you, and we’ll learn together about TCL’s mission and all of our offerings. This is perfect if you are interested in TCL but not sure the best way to start getting involved, or if you are already a participant and want to get friends in on what we’re up to!