Recently I was called in to facilitate a meeting between a couple and 18 representatives of a large federal agency. After nine years of antagonism between the pair and the department, the couple had sent a hostile and combative message to the agency threatening a lawsuit. The department answered in kind. Emails flew back and forth, each one creating more animosity.
By facilitating the meeting, I created a safe place for the couple and the agency to say what needed to be said and to hear the other side. After several rounds of discussion, staff members leaned forward in their chairs, eagerly taking notes. You could feel the shift in the room, from wary defensiveness and resentment to receptive encouragement. The new mood was “Here are two people with a huge commitment to the work we are doing.How can we help them help us do a better job?”
