Cohousing-L Mailing List: Unusual workshop on resolving community conflict, Feb 1-29

[Diana Leafe Christian (diana]

Hello,

I wanted to let Coho-L readers know I'm offering a live (and lively) online 
workshop on working effectively with three different sources or kinds of 
community conflict. Each kind requires a different way to resolve it—not just 
empathetic listening, good communication skills, or mediation with an outside 
communities consultant, which is appropriate for only one kind—interpersonal 
conflict.

The five-week course of two-hour sessions starts Thursday evening, February 
1st. With slide show presentations, practice exercises, and plenty of time for 
Q&A—with useful handouts and other resources. It's US$185-$250 sliding scale. 
(More info below.)

My approach to community conflict  is quite different from that of most 
cohousing consultants, who in my experience tend to address all conflict 
through the lens of interpersonal conflict. Oops! This doesn't work too well 
with the other two kinds.

In my experience as a community researcher and consultant, while many of us 
have seen interpersonal conflict resolved with good communication skills like 
NVC, there's also “structural conflict,” which I described in my book Creating 
a Life Together. And conflict arising from what I call “especially challenging 
behaviors.” The latter two kinds _also_ trigger interpersonal conflict on top 
of them, which makes it really hard to figure out what to do. (The first six 
articles in my Communities magazine series, "Working Effectively with 
Especially Challenging Behaviors," are here. <http://gen-us.net/DLC> 
gen-us.net/DLC <http://gen-us.net/DLC>  

Participants in this workshop will learn practical, workable solutions 
successful communities have used to resolve or contain each type of conflict. 
It's designed for people who have felt confused, baffled, or even hopeless 
about ongoing conflict in their group and seek grounded, field-tested 
solutions. There _are_ things both individuals and communities can do!

The workshop is offered by SOIL, the nonprofit of my community, Earthaven 
Ecovillage. Here's 
<https://www.schoolofintegratedliving.org/working-effectively-with-community-conflict/>
 the link to more information and registration for this Feb. 1st—Feb. 19th 
course. 
https://www.schoolofintegratedliving.org/working-effectively-with-community-conflict/

If you're experiencing distressing conflict in your community, please join us 
in this energizing interactive workshop. Thank you for considering it!

Diana Leafe Christian