“Relationship is the pre-condition for change. Every meeting has to get people connected first. Otherwise, the content falls on deaf ears."

-Peter Block

JEFF SHARES HIS INSIGHTS

"Humanizing Public Conversation is an excellent read with practical advice for public servants committed to engaging the public and creating a government that truly serves its people. I highly recommend this book as a valuable guide for earning public trust.”

Lea Eriksen, Director of Technology & Innovation; Chief Information Officer, City of Long Beach, California

Services

  • Paradigm Introduction

    This 90-minute experience will illuminate the Humanizing paradigm while helping you better understand your situation.

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  • Public Facilitation

    Let me take the heat for you – I can settle emotional public battles and find common ground and compromise in complex situations.

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  • Team Training

    Looking to generate public trust? Let me train your team to humanize conversations through practice and performance coaching. 

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  • Team Retreats

    Through mindfulness and vulnerability, participants clarify their strengths and improve collaboration to confidently navigate change together.

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Testimonials

  • "Jeffrey helps you tackle any sticky issue with the public. His approach ensures that everyone's voices are heard and that all ideas are treated equally on their merits – which fosters civil dialog and public trust. I highly recommend him to anyone wanting to engage their public better.”

    - T.J. White, Executive Director, Center for Local Government, Hamilton County, Ohio

  • “Jeffrey Stec’s work is more important than ever in a society that seems to have lost its way in working together to solve shared problems. Every issue we face as a society is an opportunity to build community – Jeffrey’s techniques and suggestions provide the structure to do just that.”

    -  Steve Johns, AICP, Assistant Director, Planning and Development, Hamilton County, Ohio

  • Inclusive dialogue has never been more critical. Jeffrey Stec’s work helps generate both insight and action, unleash our curiosity, check our biases at the door, and engage people in productive conversation. Debate is healthy and important; doing it with empathy, compassion, and a willingness to grow and evolve is essential to progress. Thanks, Jeff, for helping us explore how to do that."

    - Jennifer Temple, Executive Vice President, Communications, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Check Out The Blog

Featured
The Humanizing Method
The Humanizing Method
When Will the Public Accept “No”?
When Will the Public Accept “No”?
What’s in a pothole?
What’s in a pothole?
Mending Our Mindset
Mending Our Mindset
The Problem: Your Story about the Public
The Problem: Your Story about the Public

Meet Jeffrey

Jeffrey is a certified mediator (from his time as a practicing family lawyer) and certified public participation facilitator who helps leaders navigate complex problems involving diverse community and staff stakeholders.


A man sitting on a couch, turned away from the camera, gazing into the distance

 FAQs

  • A Community Facilitator helps guide conversations, build consensus, and foster collaboration within communities or organizations to address key issues and goals. They act as neutral parties to ensure all voices are heard, and they help communities create actionable plans for positive change.

  • Leaders should hire neutral facilitators because their power will bias the dialog, and they might get defensive if attacked. Let someone else ask the tough questions and take the heat. 

  • Through the following principles, I foster vulnerability, the key to building high-trust groups who find resilience in each other...

    1. Connection before content

      • Through small group discussions and powerful personal questions

    2. Understanding before debate

      • Through the Five Whys and Needs Mapping processes  

    3. Co-creation rather than argumentation

      • Through asset mapping and consideration of trade-offs

    4. Cooperation rather than isolation

      • Through mutually supportive roles that serve the whole

    My facilitation style helps everyone feel heard and inspires them to contribute...

    1. I'm curious about what really matters to people and dig deep into people's motivations.

    2. I hold space for and empathize with everyone's emotions so we can process them together

    3. I focus on gifts rather than deficiencies.

    4. I foster self-discovery and collective learning.

    5. I reframe conflict as an opportunity for understanding.

    6. I clarify complex issues by organizing concepts and illuminating details 

    7. I energize the room as inspiring possibilities emerge from difficult polarities.

    Results in MUTUAL TRUST, SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY, COMMUNITY RESILIENCE 


  • I bring a deep understanding of community dynamics, urban planning, and sustainable development, combined with a passion for equitable outcomes. My experience working across diverse communities allows me to adapt to different settings and create customized facilitation strategies that work.

  • The length of a project depends on its complexity. Some projects, like a single workshop or town hall meeting, may only take a day, while larger community development projects may require ongoing facilitation over several months.