Advanced Design & Facilitation Skills (May 2026)

Reflective Structured Dialogue (RSD) is an approach, rather than a model. In its most rigorous form, RSD has a particular format and is marked by particular structures.

But RSD is also a way of being—of communicating, listening, reflecting, and asking questions in ways that restore trust, deepen mutual understanding, and build the relationships that make change possible. It is flexible and adaptable, able to meet the needs of a variety of contexts: team meetings, lesson plans, town hall meetings, strategic planning, decision making, and more.

This workshop helps experienced facilitators adapt and apply RSD to contexts in creative, collaborative, and even unexpected ways and to navigate design dilemmas with purpose and poise. The curriculum leverages real-world scenarios and cases to develop facilitators’ existing tools to reimagine, redesign, and integrate dialogic processes that make culture change possible.

Objectives:

• To learn key strategies, frameworks, and skills for designing dialogic processes that are adaptive, creative, and responsive
• To better understand when and how to adjust dialogic processes to meet emergent needs and opportunities
• To develop personal resources that help navigate challenging moments in a conversation, meeting, or dialogue

As a result of this workshop, you will be equipped to:

• Adapt the principles and practices of Reflective Structured Dialogue to a variety of contexts in order to meet the unique needs of the situation
• Creatively navigate design dilemmas to ensure alignment with people and purpose
• Meet emerging design needs or address challenges “in the room” with purpose, confidence, and poise

Who might participate:

• Formal and informal leaders with experience facilitating RSD or other structured dialogic processes, including but not limited to: 
  • Educators and administrators
  • Corporate and nonprofit managers
  • Human resources professionals
  • Clergy and lay religious leaders
  • Therapists or social workers
  • Alternative dispute resolution professionals

Accreditation and Continuing Education

Essential Partners provides a certificate upon completion of the workshop that can be used to support a request for professional development credits.

Scholarships

Essential Partners provides a limited number of partial or full scholarships for each workshop it hosts. A member of the staff will inform applicants of their decisions six weeks prior to the workshop date; applicants will confirm their acceptance by registering online. Scholarships are granted based on two criteria: financial need; and  potential for impact on a community level.

Fill out this form to apply for a scholarship.

Cancellation Policies

If you must cancel, please do so as far in advance as possible. Cancellations are subject to a $25 administration fee plus an additional $25 to process credit card refunds (if you paid by credit card). Refunds will be issued to the original payment method.

To receive any refund your cancellation must be made at least 2 weeks before the event or workshop date. Essential Partners is under no obligation to offer any refund or credit if you cancel within two weeks of an event or workshop. If you need to cancel due to a medical emergency or other emergency reason, please call (617) 923-1216 or email training@whatisessential.org as soon as possible.

In some instances, Essential Partners must cancel a workshop due to low enrollment, faculty illness, or other reason. In the unlikely event that we have to cancel a workshop, we will give you 7-10 days notice. If the workshop is canceled, Essential Partners will issue you a full refund of the registration fee, with no administration fees withheld.