PROTOCOL P-15 | Facilitated Dialogue & Negotiation

Facilitated Dialogue Protocol

TRIGGER When a grievance involves competing interests that require structured multi-party engagement; when direct bilateral engagement between the project and a community has reached an impasse; when a conflict assessment recommends dialogue as the response strategy.

STEPS

1. Assess whether facilitated dialogue is the appropriate response

   Dialogue is appropriate when: parties have genuine competing interests (not simply misinformation to correct); all parties are willing to participate; a facilitator trusted by all parties is available; the issues are within the scope of what the parties can agree to resolve without external authority. If any of these conditions are absent, dialogue is not yet appropriate.

2. Select and brief the facilitator

   The facilitator should: be trusted by all parties; have no stake in the specific outcome; have facilitation skills and experience with multi-stakeholder dynamics. Brief the facilitator on: the conflict background, party interests, sensitive areas, and what the process should and should not commit parties to.

3. Conduct pre-session briefings with each party separately

   Before the joint session, meet with each party: confirm their willingness to participate; explain the ground rules; ask them to identify their interests (not just their positions); and address any procedural concerns.

4. Conduct the facilitated dialogue session

   Ground rules: one speaker at a time; respectful language; focus on interests not positions; what is said in the room guides what is documented, but details may be kept confidential if parties agree. Structure: introductions and ground rules; each party's opening statement of their interests; joint exploration of options; identification of areas of agreement; documentation of outcomes.

5. Document outcomes at the close of the session

   Before the session ends, read back all agreements and areas of agreement. Have all parties confirm the record. Use the Agreement Documentation Template. Do not leave the session without a written record, however brief.

6. Establish follow-up mechanism before closing

   Who will verify implementation? When? What happens if a commitment is not met? This must be agreed before the session closes, not after.

7. If dialogue reaches impasse, assess whether mediation is appropriate

   Not all dialogues produce agreement. If impasse is reached despite good-faith participation, assess whether the issues require a neutral third-party mediator (trigger P-16: Mediation Intake Protocol) or whether an external determination is needed.

PURPOSE

To define when facilitated dialogue is appropriate, who facilitates, how sessions are structured, and how outcomes are documented. Facilitated dialogue is the structured response space between routine GRM and formal mediation, appropriate when parties have legitimate competing interests that need to be jointly explored rather than adjudicated.

Roles and Responsibilities

Facilitates:

Actor: Neutral Facilitator (CSO / Senior ComRel / External)
Responsibility: Designs and conducts the session; manages dynamics; documents outcomes. Must have no stake in the specific outcome.

Participates:

Actor: Project / Developer Representative
Responsibility: Participates in dialogue; authorized to make commitments within their remit; escalates decisions requiring higher authority before the session if possible.

Participates:

Actor: Community / Affected Party Representative
Responsibility: Participates in dialogue; ideally supported to prepare (see T-29: Negotiation Preparation Guide) so they engage with interests, not just positions.

Supporting:

Actor: LGU Representative (if relevant)
Responsibility: Participates where the concern involves LGU mandate; may serve as a trusted presence that lends legitimacy to the process.

Field Notes and Adaptation Guidance

• Field Note — Preparation determines outcomes

  The quality of a facilitated dialogue session is largely determined by what happens before it, the quality of the conflict assessment, the care of the pre-session briefings, the selection and briefing of the facilitator, and whether parties enter having thought about their interests rather than only their positions. Invest in preparation, and the session itself becomes easier.

• Field Note — The facilitator is not the project's advocate

  A facilitated dialogue that is led by the project's ComRel officer will not produce genuine agreement from community parties, because the facilitator is not neutral. When the project team facilitates its own dialogue, communities participate defensively. The facilitator must be someone both parties trust. This often means a CSO, a respected community leader, or a professional external facilitator.

• Adaptation Guidance

  In communities where formal meeting settings are uncomfortable or associated with power imbalance (barangay hall, developer office), consider conducting dialogue sessions in neutral community spaces: a school, a community organization meeting room, or even outdoors. The setting sends signals about whose space this is and who controls it.

Required Output / Documentation

• Agreement record (T-30: Agreement Documentation Template) signed or confirmed by all parties

• Follow-up mechanism agreed and documented

• If impasse reached: facilitated dialogue summary noting issues not resolved and next step (mediation or referral)