Dialogue Facilitation

This training is part of the Full Time Course in Peace and Conflict Work. However, it can also be booked separately or as package with the training on Environment in Grassroots Peacebuilding and the training on Creative Approaches to Peacebuilding (with a 10% discount on the combined block of the three trainings).

Who can register for this training?

The 5-day training is offered to practitioners of peace and conflict work or those who intend to work in the field, and are interested in gaining new skills and learning more about the complexity and dilemmas in the field of dialogue facilitation. 

Depending on methods and topic of the training, we limit the number of available spaces to a maximum of 16 participants. Register early to reserve your place! 

Content

Dialogue is one of the most known third-party intervention in the conflict context. Effective facilitation is a result of a long standing practice and a product of reflection and insight on what works and what does not work in specific contexts. The training will offer insights into the various dimensions of dialogue facilitation and the necessary skills and attitudes required, also with due consideration of the person’s own positionalities, privileges and biases. Through the balance between general concepts and practical exercises, the participants will get the chance to test and improve their ability to facilitate dialogue within a safe space.  

Objectives

• Clarify one’s personal and (own organisation’s) motivation for engaging in dialogue
• Understand the values and basic concepts and elements in Dialogue
• Become familiar with and have practiced methods and tools for facilitating a dialogue
• Identify competencies needed to facilitate a dialogue
• Reflect roles and expectations on a facilitator v-v personal capacities and skills

Key Concepts

• Dialogue: thought models, framework and principles, application, limitation and challenges
• Dialogue facilitation: types, processes and steps
• The dialogue facilitator: mandate, roles and positionalities, skills and attitudes required
• Critical factors for consideration as dialogue facilitators: Power structures / asymmetries, participation and inclusion, multi-partiality, among other dilemmas
• Application in various contexts 

Methodology

Starting from and building on the experiences and backgrounds of the participants we engage with the core concepts of facilitating a dialogue. The training is a safe space in which an experiential learning is encouraged, mistakes should be made and exchange on an eye-to-eye level is key. This allows close feedback loops for the implementation of the general concepts of dialogue in practice and leads to a strong learning progression during and after the training.

After a successful participation, participants receive a certificate and become part of the academy’s alumni network.

Certification Requirements

The course certification requirements serve as a guideline for the participants to critically evaluate their own learning progress and as a point of reflection on the importance of their continued engagement with the group, participation in the course and commitment to the tasks.

The specific requirements are the following:

• Punctuality and regular attendance during the course. Participants are allowed up to 25% of absence, with permission from the Academy, to attend to urgent issues;
• Completion of 90% of the compulsory tasks and deliverables per module; and
• Respect and observance of the agreements about the learning process such as; active participation, treating each other with respect, readiness to work on one’s own skills, willingness to resolve conflicts in a constructive way, and openness to reflect on one’s roles and behaviours, emotions and thoughts.

Exceptions on individual basis and/or alternative tasks as compensation of missed requirements could be granted in agreement with the course team. Gaining new knowledge and perspectives and learning new skills are the core outcomes of the course. However, inability to meet most or all the requirements may lead to the participant not receiving a certificate at the end of the course.

Do you have questions about this training? Our team is happy to assist you. Please do not hesitate to contact me: claudia.osthues@propeace.de

Application

Please register for this training online via our website by 31 December 2026. We will then contact you for the next steps. Please note that the number of available spaces per training is limited, and that your participation in the training is only guaranteed if the training fee is paid in time. Early registration is highly encouraged. 

Please make sure to clearly express your motivation and expectations for the training. Also, please share your experiences relevant to the topic.

Visa: Participants from outside the EU will need a visa to enter Germany. We can generally support the visa process with a formal invitation letter from our side. Be advised that it takes a significant amount of time to get the visa processed, so be sure to start the process 8 weeks before the training start. Please make sure you are eligible and check the specific requirements and usual timeline for processing with your local German embassy. The responsibility for obtaining the visa lies with each of the participants themselves.