Navigating Challenging Dialogue® for Regional Agencies

In 2023, we created this custom training program, in partnership with 5Cities Homeless Coalition, for agencies working with the unhoused population of San Luis Obispo County. This training specifically addressed their need for improved communication and collaboration within their organizations and between agencies.  The training successfully served 120 leaders, managers, and frontline staff from 12 agencies, with 81% of attendees rating it as very valuable.
“​​I am especially grateful for the vision and leadership of our sponsors in helping us bring this training to our community,”
”
— Janna Nichols, Executive Director, 5Cities Homeless Coalition

This is a collaborative communication training for regional agencies serving a common clientele. 

Our approach teaches how to apply the tools of Navigating Challenging Dialogue® (NCD) and the NCD Process to build trust and strengthen workplace culture, while empowering organizations to fulfill the mission most effectively. 

  • NCD is a toolkit for building trust by developing self-awareness, emotional self-regulation, empathy, and curiosity. These skills are necessary for effective collaboration, clear communication, and building trust.  

  • The NCD Process is a framework for fact-based dialogue, even when communication feels risky. This process has helped hundreds of individuals and organizations to clearly communicate in ways that create connections, build bridges, and get results.

There’s a benefit when all agencies within a region have a shared language when communicating with clients and between agencies.

NCD provides that common language for difficult conversations. This partnered training builds relationships and strengthens collaboration between agencies. 

With the foundation of NCD, agencies will be better able to navigate change and uncertainty while empowering staff to use their strengths and talents in healthy ways to move their organizations, and their region, forward.  

How It Works

Staff and leadership from multiple regional agencies attend. For each group of 25 participants, we facilitate a 1-day NCD Essentials workshop. This workshop is a hands-on experience of Navigating Challenging Dialogue® (NCD) and the NCD Process. 

Participants bring their meaningful day-to-day communication challenges into the classroom, and through practice and spot-coaching, learn the tools for clear communication as it relates to their own situation. 

In order to create a confidential environment, where participants feel free to share their challenges and get coaching, frontline staff attend workshops separately from their managers and leaders. Executive directors attend a separate training as well, so they can work on both interagency and intraagency topics confidentially. 

Each Workshop Includes: 

  • A private online classroom with all materials, assessments, and instructor access.

  • A digital copy of the official Navigating Challenging Dialogue® handbook, Turn This Conversation Around: The 4-Stage Process for Communication with Connection. 

  • A digital copy of Beth’s book, Mastering Feedback: Everything You’ve Never Been Told About How to Give Feedback. 

  • Access to our Online Learning Center, a Navigating Challenging Dialogue® library of professional development guides, assessments, and videos. 

Building Sustaining Change 

A few months after the workshops end, we host the NCD Sustainability Builder to support long-term implementation of NCD. This is a 2-session online event for attendees to review the tools, and go deeper into NCD topics and strategies. 

Attendees will pose questions about their lived experience with the material, share their successes, and receive coaching to address challenges using Navigating Challenging Dialogue® and the NCD Process. 

Everyone is encouraged to attend both sessions. It’s through your individual and collective practice and learning that you’ll gain a shared perspective and language that supports every organization to grow, stretch, and learn.

Sustainability Builder Includes: 

A digital copy of the NCD Discussion Guide, a training and resource tool will keep NCD alive within each organization. This guide will help individuals and teams reflect on the progress being made with NCD, and encourage the use of NCD to execute the organization’s mission and values. 

How Can We Help Your Region?

Is there a group of nonprofits who are serving the same population you are? Do your services sometimes overlap? Or is interagency collaboration an essential part of funding?

Hire us to:

  • Teach all agencies a common language and process for navigating conflict.

  • Support staff with tools that reduce unhealthy conflict and drama.

  • Improve communication and collaboration within and between agencies.

Let’s talk about how we can support you!

Since 2010, we have been supporting nonprofits to achieve their missions with ease and clarity. 

Send us your questions and concerns below, or you can schedule a free call right now.