Standing in the Fire: Leading High-Heat Meetings with Clarity, Calm, and Courage

From an accomplished international facilitator, “a must-read for anyone who must navigate through a sea of emotionally charged issues” (Russell Coff, Associate Professor of Organization and Management, Emory University).

Experienced facilitators, OD consultants, coaches, and organizational leaders increasingly find themselves standing in the fire—working in situations where group and community members are polarized, angry, fearful, and confused. Facilitator Larry Dressler has come to believe that simply picking up yet another method or technique won’t help in situations like these. What has a truly transformational impact is what he calls the “facilitators presence.”

Cultivating an ability to access a compassionate presence that people experience as open, authentic, and clear in intention during the most difficult situations moves facilitators from being competent professionals to being on a path toward self-mastery. In this helpful guide, he explains how to make that transformation happen.