Dialogue Mapping™ Workshop

Dialogue Mapping™ Workshop

The CogNexus Dialogue Mapping™ two-day workshop introduces managers, project leaders, facilitators, and consultants to the skill of Dialogue Mapping™, and a whole new way of helping groups solve problems and move forward. Since people taking this workshop will have completed the one of the Issue Mapping Courses, or will have already taken a previous Dialogue Mapping™ Workshop, we will roll up our sleeves in this workshop and get down to the deeper, “softer” skills of seamlessly facilitating from the place where IBIS, Compendium and facilitation meet. We will spend our time together practicing the hard, productive, and satisfying work of Dialogue Mapping™ which calls for sustained concentration, willingness to make mistakes and learn in public, and a fierce commitment to listening and shared understanding.
The Dialogue Mapping™ Workshop is fast-paced, intellectually challenging, and fun! Past participants report that since taking the workshop they are able to be more creative and powerful in meetings. They can see more clearly the hidden issues that cloud projects and are able to be more effective leaders around highly complex and controversial issues. Dialogue Mapping™ is a skillful combination of three components. 1) Mastery of the language called IBIS (Issue Based Information System) creates a logical, question-based grammar that exposes hidden questions, new perspectives and the logic and rationale of issues and decisions no matter now many stakeholders and issues are involved. IBIS is covered extensively in one of the Issue Mapping Courses.		A flip chart from the workshop (click for larger view)
2) Effective use of the software called Compendium (also covered extensively in one of the Issue Mapping Courses); although the art of Dialogue Mapping™ can be conducted with or without a computer, facilitating in IBIS with Compendium allows the Dialogue Mapper to robustly connect and manage many layers of information and conversation. 3) Group facilitation, or (more precisely) facilitation through the medium of a shared display. Please note that the new prerequisite for this workshop is one of the Issue Mapping Courses which teaches IBIS and Compendium. Those who have taken previous Dialogue Mapping™ Workshops may also attend. Why Dialogue Mapping™? At its core, Dialogue Mapping™ is a method of facilitation. But unlike traditional facilitation tools, Dialogue Mapping™ addresses the actual, non-linear process of solving big problems, rather than the linear problem solving reality that traditional facilitation tools reflect. Dialogue Mapping™ has the power to utilize different perspectives to make the best possible decisions; it does not insist on consensus but creates shared understanding and ownership in a more complex problem/solution space. The process of Dialogue Mapping™ includes creating a map of the conversation so that all participants can see the same thing at the same time.
Workshop Outcomes Students improve their ability to pierce through the fog of talk and expose the deep structure of complex issues and difficult conversations. Students learn a practical facilitation approach. Students learn the mechanics of creating "traction": real, measurable progress and real decisions. Students learn about “the dance” of Dialogue Mapping and how to lead the group into a lively interaction with the shared map; they are able to experience why Dialogue Mapping is unique and renders different results than traditional facilitation.
Workshop Agenda Day 1 Introduction Framework of the Course Wicked Problems The Age of Design "Mock meeting" - Dialogue Mapping Practice 1 The Listening Cycle Advanced Question Types "Mock meeting" - Dialogue Mapping Practice 2 Homework Assignment Day 2 Homework Review Three Modes of Discourse "Twelve Angry Men" Practice Exercise "Mock meeting" - Dialogue Mapping Practice 3 Decision Making "Mock meeting" - Dialogue Mapping Practice 4 Completion
Workshop Style Very interactive - questions are encouraged, new topics are explored together. Designed for all learning styles. Modules alternate between theory and practice - theory is always immediately applied in practice. Fun - there is a sense of play; music during breaks. Colorful - all theory material is created live on hand-drawn charts which are posted on the walls. Practical - instructor uses personal experience as practitioner to illustrate points and answer questions. Popular - graduates rate this workshop 9.2 out of 10, and rate the instructor even higher. Prerequisites Successful completion of one of the Issue Mapping Courses, or previous completion of another CogNexus Dialogue Mapping Workshop. Preparatory Homework Students will be asked to create a new "Personal Map" so that they arrive to the workshop "fresh" on IBIS, Compendium and map management.

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