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Toolbox home References 2 short descriptions

Tools and methods need to make sense ‘on the ground’ if they are to be absorbed and implemented. This highlights the need for ‘coproduction’ of knowledge through collaborative learning approaches between experts and users. This sounds deceptively simple but working in collaboration is not easy. Issues around power, access to resources and who controls the process can have a significant impact on how effective the collaboration is in building effective learning rather than reproducing (or even reinforcing) previously held and unhelpful perceptions and the sense that there is no point in engaging as ‘things will never change’. Collaboration in which both sides can address such issues openly requires an investment in building relationships and breaking down previously held perceptions of the other. Conflict resolution tools can be used to reframe how an issue is being presented, create opportunities for dialogue and encourage engagement even where actors are in dispute.

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Exemplary methods and tools

Name	Description	References
Non Violent Communication	Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a communication process that is often used in conflict resolution. It focuses on three aspects of communication: self-empathy (defined as a deep and compassionate awareness of one's own inner experience), empathy (defined as listening to another with deep compassion), and honest self-expression (defined as expressing oneself authentically in a way that is likely to inspire compassion in others).	http://www.ayahuasca-wasi.com/english/articles/NVC.pdf
Conflict spectrum	A way to get an understanding about a conflicting issue by asking people to stand along an invisible spectrum line inrelation to how strongly they feel about the issue. Individuals can then be quizzed about why they chose that spot and what might encourage them to move in a different direction along the spectrum	A description of this technique among others is included in Facilitation Skills for Interpersonal Transformation: http://www.berghof-handbook.net/documents/publications/kraybill_handbook.pdf