PROGRAM OFFERINGS

Convergence Compass is a one-of-a-kind online learning program that helps participants understand what drives division and teaches them evidence-based strategies for effective dialogue and collaborative problem-solving, even on the toughest issues. The curriculum is designed by Convergence in partnership with Constructive Dialogue Institute and UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. The program is available as a standalone offering and as a cohort with instructor-led sessions in between courses to practice and apply skills.

What Learners Say

“I completed the Convergence Compass courses and hated for the program to end! It was absolutely fabulous. I learned new material but also re-learned skills I have that can be applied in a new and exciting context. I could always take a group to a specific point in a group process but getting them to meaningful, innovative solutions with broad consensus and buy in is HARD. The program gave me new insights, tools, and resources to get to the next level."

“I have a new operating system thanks to this course. I'll be a better elected official, group member or leader, and a better human being.”

“Even before the session, I had always considered conflict as an opportunity. The cohort experience did focus me on process much more than I had been prior to the course. There was a real emphasis on how collaborative problem-solving is done, and why it produces better and longer lasting solutions. I was able to see pretty clearly why past efforts at community problem solving had actually failed. In those cases, even though a solution was implemented it did not solve the underlying “position variances” inherent in the conflict. We never got to understand the whys behind the positions of various interest groups. We produced a solution, but did not solve the underlying dispute. The course got me to see that.”

Hear from a National Association of Counties (NACo) Cohort Participant

DESIGNED FOR LEADERS IN

HIGHER EDUCATION

COMMUNITY & CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS

GOVERNMENT

BUSINESS

PROGRAM OFFERINGS

Convergence Compass offers several learning options. Choose what works best for you below. Group purchases are also available for the Self-Paced Online Learning Program and Cohort Model.

Self-Paced Online Program

This is a fully asynchronous learning format that allows participants to move through the online courses at their own pace, on their own schedule.

The online learning program takes approximately 8 hours to complete.

Cohort Model

This 13-week cohort program combines self-paced learning with seven live, 90-minute sessions every other week led by an experienced conflict resolution practitioner. Participants apply key concepts to real-world challenges while gaining practical skills, peer support, and personalized coaching — all within a collaborative learning community.

1:1 Coaching Add On

Meet individually with a seasoned conflict resolution practitioner and coach to address challenges you’re facing and receive personalized guidance. Coaching sessions are available in 30-minute increments.

This can only be purchased as an add-on to the online learning program and/or virtual cohort program.

CURRICULUM

COURSE 1 - Understanding Polarization: The Root of Division

An overview of polarization and its impacts on relationships, society, and politics provides participants with a basic understanding of the conflicts and tensions that exist in communities and organizations.

COURSE 2 - Conflict and the Brain: The Psychology of Conflict and its Resolution

This course will help participants understand some of the ways in which our brains operate that lead to conflict so that participants are better equipped to manage conflict. It provides concrete tools to address cognitive biases like confirmation bias and attribution error. The course applies the six moral foundations as a framework to help participants understand and bridge difference in perspectives. The course also shares the research and brain science behind the full program.

COURSE 3 - Bridging Divides: Strategies for Effective Dialogue

Equips participants with the mindsets and practical strategies and skills to engage in difficult conversations, build relationships, and bridge differences. These skills include how to use storytelling to build understanding and how to transform destructive statements into constructive ones.

COURSES 4 and 5 Collaborative Problem-Solving: From Conflict to Solutions

These courses provide a deep dive into collaborative problem-solving – an evidence-based methodology for transforming conflicts that enables people to go beyond compromise to develop mutually beneficial solutions that are wiser and more durable than anything they could have developed on their own, and to develop trust and relationships along the way. From conflict analysis to stakeholder identification, to convening, to relationship building, to forging consensus solutions, these final modules create a comprehensive roadmap for participants to take what they’ve learned and apply it to help their respective communities tackle divisive issues.

WATCH A SNEAK PEAK OF THE PROGRAM

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Refund Policy

Scholarship application

If the program cost presents a barrier to your participation, you may apply for a full or partial scholarship by submitting the scholarship form.

Additional Contact Information

TRAINING

course partners

funder

This work was made possible through the support of the New Pluralists Collaborative, a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

Acknowledgements

Convergence would like to thank Consensus Building Institute (CBI) and the Edward Mediation Academy for the roles they played in helping us develop Convergence Compass. We would also like to recognize Roger Fisher and William Ury, who developed the concept of interest-based problem-solving.