Anything is possible with a little dialogue
As trailblazers in community engagement, we specialize in high stakes, high impact projects. When people start talking with each other, not at one another.
When we escape yes or no, black and white dichotomies.
When we realize that many of the tools we use to communicate are pushing us away from having real conversations.
... we’re on the path to something sustainable.
When your organization faces a divisive issue with diverse perspectives, we're the people you call.
Whether it’s getting your team into a room to talk after a serious breach of trust, or designing a multi-platform engagement strategy that gives thousands of community members a seat at the table, our solutions are as unique as your needs.
CASE STUDIES
New blood donation policies: Turning outrage to action
Dialogue Partners turned outrage to action for the Canadian Blood Services. Taken to the Supreme Court for an unfair policy on blood donation by men who have had sex with other men, Canadian Blood Services needed a new path forward. Dialogue Partners planned and facilitated conversations that brought polarized stakeholders together to find a way forward that respects rights and the integrity of the blood supply. After years of controversy, common ground to move forward was found.
Finding common ground: Indigenous community + big power company
When a provincial power company purchased a northern hydro generating facility, they inherited decades of conflict with the neighbouring Indigenous community. Dialogue Partners served as the bridge and guide to building a new and different relationship. The work involved over 500 one-on-one interviews, storytelling workshops, and community meals. They brought back the community voice to SaskPower, and transformed a long-standing, seemingly intractable conflict. The two groups worked together to co-create the start of a stronger, sustainable relationship for the future.
Education budget challenge: Too much space, not enough students
Declining enrolment, surplus school space, and insufficient funding spurred the Edmonton Public School Board to action. They hired Dialogue Partners to engage both community and stakeholders to explore how to make sense of these duelling tensions. Dialogue Partners facilitated discussions related to community values, available space, community needs and quality education. In the end, they helped map a path so that all students would have access to vibrant schools and a range of quality programs.
Training, Coaching & Workshops
Are you looking to enhance your skills in community engagement and facilitation? We offer industry-recognized training at all levels. Join our community of practitioners by enrolling in a class today.
Training Courses & Workshops
Dialogue Partners is a nationally-recognized thought leader in the field of public participation. For practitioners at all levels of experience, we offer hands-on training and one-on-one mentoring from our experienced practitioners.
We offer customizable training courses, workshops, and webinars. Consult our list of training courses and our training calendar to see the world class training programs we provide.
Once you have experienced one of our sessions, you will walk out empowered to creating meaningful and productive public engagement programs on your own.
Coaching, Speaking & Strategic Advice
Dialogue Partners provides civic engagement coaching and mentoring to practitioners and organizations to help build community engagement capacity and ensure best practice implementation.
We conduct expert reviews of your existing public engagement and knowledge building initiatives. We have evaluated countless guidance documents, process design, consultation plans, and toolkits.
Our community engagement experts can also help you craft new toolkits, manuals, guides, information sessions, speeches, journal articles, and web content related to public engagement and facilitation.
Meet Kim Hyshka, Principal
Creating alignment when there are deep divisions isn’t easy. It takes a certain personality to do what we do. Dialogue Partners provides our clients with unfettered creative energy, undivided attention and hard-earned expertise, and it all stems from our leader Kim Hyshka.
Kim has been a leader in the field of civic engagement and public participation for over a decade, amassing a list of clients that spans the corporate elite and the highest levels of government.
Just don’t call her a communications consultant!
What we offer isn’t about massaging messaging or playing the PR game. Real conversations are about honesty, vulnerability—even intimacy. We pretty much guarantee you will laugh, learn and form bonds throughout the process, even (or especially!) when things get tough.
At Dialogue Partners, we are committed to ensuring that our public engagement processes are fully accessible and inclusive for all participants. We strive to meet the highest standards of digital accessibility, in alignment with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA.
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