Constructive Debate
A Collaborative Approach to Building Better Ideas

Program Description

To be successful as global competitors, leaders must establish and maintain an environment that supports the open exchange and exploration of ideas leading to fuller participation, greater innovation, and better decisions. Organizations that understand the value of creativity and innovation can identify and develop the best ideas quickly by encouraging creative and critical thinking, clear communication, and an open climate. In too many teams, great ideas and unusual solutions can be suppressed, ignored, or attacked. Out-of-the-norm or politically difficult ideas are often not heard. Departments defend their turf and people choose what is safe over what is better. Honest opinions often show up in the “meeting after the meeting,” because people fear conflict or repercussions if they were to be open about what they really think.

Constructive Debate™ helps you learn how to establish conditions that encourage the free exchange, discussion, and development of ideas and eliminate conditions that prevent potentially useful ideas from getting a hearing or allow mediocre ones to be implemented.

Constructive Debate is available virtually. For more info, see our page on Virtual Learning Journeys.

For more information on Constructive Debate™, click here.

Constructive Debate™ is a copyrighted program of Barnes & Conti Associates, Inc.

Program Objectives

As a participant, you will be able to:

Express your ideas and engage others clearly and directly.
Explore others’ views for the purpose of understanding and clarifying them.
Develop skills for constructive discussion and debate.
Empower others to explore, challenge, and test their own ideas or conclusions.
Offer constructive, non-defensive responses to others’ challenges.
Establish and maintain an environment that supports constructive debate.

What our clients say:

“I learned more constructive methods for meetings, conversations, debates—how to get the best options on the table, methods to deflect defensiveness and get to the root cause, and how to be a better facilitator in group discussions...“

“All the material was great. I can really see turning ‘arguments’ into productive output...and we can all use more of that!”

— Intuit Inc.

“The material and facilitator were excellent. Learning to express ideas and engaging others clearly and directly helps drive better participation in meetings. Due to the multicultural environment this class provides the toolset needed to continually develop skills for constructive, non-defensive responses while exploring ideas that test assumptions and conclusions in a safe non-offensive manner.”

—Training & Development Specialist