January 16, 2026

The value of third-party facilitation, mediation, everything

When there’s a strong difference of opinion among two parties, having a third party who works for both sides can be hugely helpful.

Scuffle on the street? It’s a third party who often breaks it up; not trying to take a side but simply stop the fight. Row between two friends? It’s often that third friend – trusted by both – who serves as a go-between and keeps the peace. Wanna compete in a fair fight? This is why sports have refs; neutral third parties who work for both teams and don’t care who wins.

We can each be that third party in any situation at any time. And hopefully, we each have third parties to whom we can ask for help with our own conflicts.

Continued here and comments

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Words to Cross Divides

I’ve met Pearce Godwin a couple times at conferences and was on a webinar with him last week hosted by NCDD. He’s our nation’s leading expert in talking across divides, in my opinion.

He told us that if you are a political lefty and you want the attention of a righty, consider modifying your approach to match your audience. Many words and phrases are an instant turn off, whether they should be or not.

• Instead of diversity, say variety
• Instead of equity, say fairness
• Instead of inclusion, speak of welcoming and belonging
• Instead of justice, speak of fairness or right and wrong
• Instead of marginalized, say mistreated or left out

Here’s an article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy called You Need Conservatives. Here’s How to Engage Them in Your Mission. It’s chock full of Pearce’s wisdom and practical tips.

Comments

What's the value of meeting facilitation?

I asked fans and clients this very question many years ago and I posted all the answers here.

Here's an article from the management consulting firm Kepner-Tregoe called The Value of a Facilitator in Organizational Problem Solving. The article focuses on the five biggest challenges facing organizations, and how meeting facilitation helps with each one.

Meeting facilitation is a growing profession. Leaders who want innovation and collaboration - who are fed up with low-performing meetings - increasingly see the value of professional meeting facilitators.

More here and comments

Locals: Give Your Input

Come to a public meeting and give your input on the future of the fabulous Presumpscot River that runs from Sebago Lake to Casco Bay.

February 2, 2026, Westbrook, Maine.

I will be running the meeting.

Learn about it here

Basically, the rooms of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum are the Taylor Swift Eras

And now for something completely different. A bit of a folly. A bit of an experiment with ChatGPT. A lot of fun. I wrote an analysis comparing the Rooms of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to the Eras on the Taylor Swift Tour.

The Gardner Museum isn’t so much collections on walls, but rather worlds that you walk through; just like the Eras on the Taylor Swift Tour, each one with its own sound, color palette, wardrobe, voice, even typography. Taylor’s Eras and Isabella’s Rooms are both “staged identities.”

You can read my complete analysis with photos of the rooms on LinkedIn or on Facebook.

Links to get along and find peace

Written and published by Craig Freshley. Thanks for walking along with me.