What is a courageous
community conversation?

Inspiration & instruction for times of disruption & division.

Matt Lehrman empowers local leaders to engage with their public and each other with courage, collaboration, and confidence. 

Relevant

Matt puts in substantial advance work to assure that his message connects directly and impactfully to every audience he addresses.

 

Energizing

Matt creates the right learning environment for your audience, including offering interactive keynotes, breakout sessions, fun & immersive exercises,

deep-dive workshops, facilitated discussions, webinars, and more.

 

Connected

Get the most out of your investment by hiring a speaker who welcomes the opportunity to attend your entire conference - and to being accessible and helpful to your attendees throughout.

 

Flagship Keynote

FROM CONFLICT TO CONVERSATION:
Must Disagreement Be Disagreeable?

In an era of deep division, it is the responsibility and opportunity of community leaders to rise above cynicism, outrage, and exhaustion, becoming champions of civility, courage, and meaningful community engagement.


“Disagreement isn’t only natural, it’s necessary,” emphasizes Matt Lehrman as he imparts skills for gathering stakeholder consensus around shared goals. There’s never been a more important time for municipal, civic, and nonprofit leaders to learn how to create inclusive decision-making environments from which participants emerge feeling connected, respected, and heard.


Takeaways:

  • How to Initiate a "Courageous Conversation"
  • Distinguishing "Governance" from "Politics"
  • 6 Principles for Bringing People Together
  • Addressing Obstinance & Exclusivism
  • 8 Useful Skills of "Emotional Intentionality"
  • Practical Social Media Engagement Tips
  • Exploring Creative Options Beyond Binary Choices
  • And More!


Audience comments:

  • Sensational and moving talk about community involvement and connection. Worth listening to!
  • Excellent keynote...Entertaining, engaging, positive, while acknowledging the challenges facing school boards, he also provided solutions and ideas to keep the communication lines open.
  • Energetic, engaging, informative. Good take-away tools and follow up. Conference speakers are hit or miss; you were a big hit. Thanks!
  • Matt put us in the shoes of the people we serve ... opened my eyes to new opportunities.
  • Informative, thought-provoking, and entertaining. Gave good insight.
  • Matt brings to the surface what's most important … there's always something that can be done to help.”
  • Pointed, matter of fact, and satisfyingly interactive.


Here's what association leaders are saying about

"From Conflict to Conversation"

A Community of Possibilities: Leading with Generosity

Civility is the floor of community leadership. Visioning is the roof.


Every municipal leader possesses the potential to become a champion of possibility – someone who brings community members together, igniting opportunities and fostering consensus.


Discover the power of "ideastructure" – the means by which cities and towns construct resilient pathways and systems that engage residents in shaping long-term priorities. Don’t let your community succumb to divisiveness and distrust. It is never too late to acquire practical strategies and inspiring insights founded on the core belief that where people work together courageously, their potential is unlimited.


Takeaways:

● Generosity is always a choice

● 3 strategies to seek common ground with fellow Council members

● Gain trust by inviting opinions and seeking advice

● Prepare to work with these 4 personality types in your community

● How to deal respectfully (but not get bogged down) with persistent naysayers


Audience comments:

  • It is critical that we build courageous conversations into the cycle of civic engagement.
  • This spoke to me not just as an elected official but also as a Presbyterian Pastor. So much of this information can be used to create civil conversations.
  • It was a very interactive presentation, full of laughter points as well as critical thinking moments. The presentation kept us completely engaged.

Futurecast: A Collaborative Exercise in Forward-Focused Leadership

The future is unknowable, but it’s incredibly malleable. So, let’s elevate our focus beyond today’s worries and constraints and recognize how the world (and our communities) may soon be different. In a dynamic and 100% interactive exercise, local leaders will inspire each other to identify a variety of responsibilities and opportunities along with the leadership qualities necessary to bring them about.


Takeaways:

● Why your organization's vision statement really matters

● 8 ways the world will soon be profoundly different

● What 5 future-focused leadership skills you should develop now

● How to gather & organize future priorities

● Where to find and eliminate 3 key points of friction that hamper agility and impede innovation in your organization


Audience comments:

  • Fast paced, dynamic, practical, and future-oriented. Extraordinary education.
  • It was smart, but it also brought the audience together in a very human way.
  • It was reassuring to speak with others who are experiencing similar struggles—it gave me hope that maybe we can collaborate and do better.
  • Great use of tech to engage. Well done!
  • Matt is a great workshop leader who made me comfortable and engaged right off the bat.
  • Dynamic workshop; love all the small group conversations—walking away with so many great ideas!
  • It really gets you thinking about difficult truths in a positive way.

Need help convening a courageous community conversation?

As a professional facilitator my expertise is serving communities and organizations responsible for strategic decisions that require consensus among multiple stakeholders.


What can I help your team achieve together?


CHAT WITH MATT

Let's talk possibilities.

CHAT WITH MATT
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