Ken Homer's Page

What motivated you (or your organization) to become involved in peace and conflict resolution?

It's been a life long process - incorporating both inner and outer struggles with anger - my own and that of others - and a dawning awareness that we can leave a better world behind us.

Please feel free to provide a short bio about yourself or the work of your organization (no more than 3 paragraphs)

Once I attended a lecture where the speaker asked the crowd: What is the greatest challenge facing humanity today? The usual litany of horrors was reported back by the audience and the speaker nodded gravely as each one seemed more terrifying than the last.

Finally he said: Yes, those are all great challenges, but they are also all secondary. Because until we can learn to sit in the same room with people who disagree with us about the importance of these things and not resort to violence or leaving when we have disagreements about them, we will never be able to solve them.

I've spent the last two decades of my life learning how to listen and speak with the people I disagree with. My work is not to solve the problems in the world, but to build the capacity of individuals and groups to talk together about what is important to them.

Please list the countries and/or regions in which you (or your organization) have direct and significant expertise

USA, Taiwan, Canada

What is your current country of residence (or location of your organization)?

California, USA

What is your current job (and organization) and/or where and what field are you studying?

Founder of Collaborative Conversations

How many years professional experience do you have ?

15+

What is your personal or organizational website?

http://www.collaborativeconversations.com

What is one of your favorite websites in the field? (please provide one answer per box)

http://www.thataway.org

Which are your primary sectoral areas of expertise (or the primary sectoral areas of your organization) ?

Business, Civil Society, Conflict Resolution, Culture, Democratization, Dialogue, Environment, Facilitation, Organizational Development, Social Entreprenuership

Which are your primary skills areas(or the primary skill areas of your organization)?

Capacity Building, Communication, Curriculum Development, Program Design, Qualitative Skills, Training

What are some of your current areas of research (if any)?

Linguistics - how to do things with words
Integral Theory - how to apply an integral approach to individual and organizational dynamics
Large-group/multi-stakeholder engagement processes - how to use small a Appreciative Inquiry, World Cafe, Open Space and other large group processes to help people include more voices and make better choices.