Facilitating meetings of people with diverse interests requires a skilled moderator who makes sure that everyone’s voice is heard and that the agenda is fully implemented.  Another advantage of using a professional facilitator for your meetings is that it allows you to fully participate in the program without worrying about moving the agenda along or other logistics during important discussions.

Large scale and multi-party collaboration can only be successful when all of the parties involved feel that their voices are heard.  Participants need to feel that they can safely engage in collaborative work, without compromising their own needs.  They need to feel that the process is fair and unbiased.  When participants come from different organizations, they want to be able to go back to their own groups after the meeting with tangible gains and without apparent losses.

Skilled group facilitation requires energy, tact and diplomacy.  It also requires that the leader be willing to state hard truths when compromise is not possible on key issues. Often, issues are resolved through a series of meetings, possibly including meetings of smaller contingents to work on specific issues.  Follow up is critical.

If you are considering a large scale collaborative project, I would be happy to speak with you and help you decide on the right format.  Your initial consultation is free and does not obligate you to use my services. 

“I worked closely with Mary on the development of a partnership between the state of California, the Federal government and a significant number of trade services providers.  She has the rare ability to pull together groups with widely divergent interests and get them working together on a common goal.  Her evenhandedness and talent for making everyone feel heard and valued smoothes the way for people to collaborate.  In addition, Mary applies her considerable communications skills to facilitating all of the small and large meetings required to make such collaboration a reality. This work included training sessions as well as large public meetings.”  Richard Swanson, Director Southwestern Region, US Commercial Service

Mary Delmege: Resolving Conflict in a Fair and Practical Way Learn tools to help resolve disputes in ongoing relationships such as co-workers, neighbors and family members. Join Mediator, Mary Delmege, as she discusses ways to live more peacefully together.