What's Left Unsaid?

Most of us have been talking since we were toddlers. So why is it so hard to discuss the things that really matter?
 
This summer, we've been talking a lot about talking. Many of our clients are facing a common issue: the inability to have hard conversations in their communities, on their boards, and among their staff. Without working through the tough stuff, old resentments simmer, initiative lags, and the quieter--or absent--voices don’t get heard. Communities and the organizations that serve them suffer when too much is left unsaid and when the right people aren’t invited to the conversation.
 
At Community Allies, we believe that strong communities are grounded in healthy relationships. That’s why one of our specialties is hosting conversations that matter. We provide you with the skills to make friends with the “elephant in the room.” In board and staff retreats, we ferret out the tough issues constraining your organization and teach you safe and effective structures to move from discord to consensus to action. In communities, we’re deeply committed to inclusion. We’ll help you map out your community’s constituencies, provide strategy for reaching them where they live, and host engaging, interactive community input sessions to build unity, harvest the wisdom of the group, and accomplish your goals.
 

In May, we attended a workshop on the Orton Family Foundation's Heart and Soul program. Heart and Soul is an extensive and exciting process that engages diverse groups of residents in collaborative discussions and decision-making driven by what they love most about their town. In July, we attended the Summer Theatre Institute presented by the Center for Performance and Civic Practice. The Institute is a week-long workshop on using theater techniques for community engagement, aimed at artists and community development professionals. Both of these experiences left us inspired about what can happen when people are brought together in conversation with powerful tools and structures for change.

What's being left unsaid in your community? Have you talked about the needs of your staff and the effectiveness of your board? Are the voices of all of your community's constituencies represented well in your decision-making? Let us know if Community Allies can help you get talking.