To structure engagements in which experts (consultants, facilitators, researchers) don’t just advise or extract information, but actively co-develop solutions with stakeholders through a blend of:
Consultation: Bringing insight, experience, models, and guidance
Elicitation: Drawing out values, goals, concerns, and contextual knowledge
Collaboration: Synthesizing these inputs into co-owned strategies and actions
✅ Stakeholders feel heard, not herded
✅ Experts are trusted, not resented
✅ Solutions are owned, not imposed
✅ Systems evolve, not just individuals
Phase
Name
Primary Mode
Objective
1
Context Framing
Elicitation-led
Understand stakeholder context, surface assumptions, define “what matters”
2
Shared Sense-Making
Balanced
Align on patterns, dynamics, and root causes
3
Insight Injection
Consultation-led
Introduce relevant models, evidence, and expert perspectives
4
Co-Design
Elicitation-led with expert scaffolding
Jointly design strategies, prototypes, and decision paths
5
Commitment Structuring
Collaboration-led
Define roles, responsibilities, and mutual commitments to action
Respect the Local Genius: Stakeholders hold essential contextual knowledge—never treat them as passive recipients.
Transparency in Influence: When sharing expert advice, be clear it’s a contribution, not a prescription.
Dialogue over Download: Replace one-way presentations with framing questions, metaphors, and visuals that invite reflection.
From Ask-and-Tell to Co-Construct: Move beyond gathering inputs and giving answers—build solutions together.
Facilitate Insight, Not Compliance: Encourage ownership by guiding exploration and choice, not just compliance with best practices.
Tool
Use in Framework
Format
Collabatation Canvas
Phase 1–2
Co-maps expertise, lived experience, and desired outcomes
Sense-Making Spectrum
Phase 2
Aligns on how each participant interprets the problem
Insight Anchors
Phase 3
Offers consultant inputs framed as “invitations to consider”
Option Mapping Board
Phase 4
Visualizes trade-offs and co-developed strategy options
Commitment Circle
Phase 5
Captures shared agreements, boundaries, and next steps
The Collabatation facilitator must:
Ask catalytic questions
Offer insight without overpowering dialogue
Reframe emerging patterns
Help participants surface tensions productively
Make the implicit visible (values, assumptions, power dynamics)
Designing a new cross-functional initiative
Community engagement for public policy
Strategy development for nonprofits
Organizational change initiatives
Grant proposal co-creation with stakeholders
Responsible AI or ethics governance workshops