A Divide is the space between different ways of thinking.
Crossing Divides fills this space with fresh ideas.
Understanding different ways of thinking
Crossing Divides gives you the opportunity to make sense of different ways of thinking. Often, these different ways let us see a problem differently, and thereby see new possibilities for addressing it. Facilitators “translate” to help explain different viewpoints, as needed.
Outcome: Relief, understanding, the ability to get more done without having to work so hard to do it.
Making decisions democratically
Crossing Divides is a chance to practice democracy and develop your own agency. Participants, including facilitators, engage as equal partners in conversation.
Outcome: In the long run, making decisions democratically is easier than making decisions authoritatively. The more you include people in the decisions they make, the more they do to accomplish them.
Taking time
Quick minds, when challenged, can speed about like flies in a bottle. Calm down. Give your thoughts time to settle.
Outcome: Agency in the heat of the moment. Have the choice to deescalate rather than escalate. Allow the conversation to continue until things are understood or worked out. Potential for collaboration increases. Better decisions are made.
Solving problems constructively
Contrary to popular opinion, building is easier than destroying — and less destructive. Yet the concept of solving problems is often geared towards eliminating problems rather than building upon the way things happen to be. Starting from a firm foundation of here and now, consider the bridges you need to build to reach your destination.
Outcome: Take prudent, strategic steps based on a thorough, multi-faceted understanding of the problem. This gets you as close as possible to your goal before taking any required leaps of faith or plunges into the unknown.