Dr. Brian Hathaway didn’t just come to the Interactivity Foundation’s Collaborative Discussion Coach Training looking to hone skills; he also came looking for connection, depth, and alignment. As someone who has spent years exploring how we might design better conversations across difference, he recognized something rare in IF’s training—an experience that took the work as seriously as he did, and treated it with the care it deserves. “I was really interested in not just building my skills as an individual,” he adds, “but getting into a community of practice of people who care a lot and can bring their own experience and vantage point.”
“Based on prior content from IF and looking at the organization, I could tell that these are people who know what they’re talking about—and who take the problem seriously.”
Brian is the founder of Middle Turtle, a startup that aims to improve collaboration by weaving together emerging technologies, social science, and philosophy. He’s also a researcher, writer, and innovator who holds a PhD in business management and ethics from Wharton. For years, he’d been searching for a learning experience that matched the complexity of his questions—and the Interactivity Foundation’s training stood out immediately.
“I’ve been on the lookout for organizations like IF and trainings like this, because I have a lot of energy around how to have better conversations at scale, and how to build a culture where people are constructively engaging across demographic lines, ideological lines, whatever the potential divisions may be.”
Even before the training began, the purposeful design was already evident. Participants had opportunities to connect informally, participate in a pre-training orientation, and reflect on their facilitation style. “By the time the training started, I already felt supported and impressed,” Brian says. “That level of intentionality is rare—and powerful.”
“There is work to be done—and it must be done together.”
The five-day experience brought together participants from diverse sectors—higher education, startups, museums, and leadership development—all united by a shared commitment to fostering thoughtful, inclusive dialogue. But what struck Brian most was how the training itself modeled the Collaborative Discussion ethos.
“Often trainings are talking about something very high-minded, but the delivery doesn’t match. Here, there was this moment where it clicked: we’re not just talking about how to design a great program—we’re in one. They were showing us, not just telling us. The structure was the message.”
Each day of the training involved practice, reflection, co-creation, and feedback. The facilitators didn’t position themselves as sole authorities; instead, they invited participants to shape the conversation, share their own knowledge, and imagine what they might offer back to the community.
“What struck me was, first of all, the skill and facilitation. And there was always a sense of inviting us to share about our own work, and about our own ideas, and creating a very supportive environment for that.”
Beyond this, though, Brian notes that “it never felt like the training was the end point. It felt like the beginning of something bigger.” That “something bigger” is already taking shape. Through his organization Middle Turtle, Brian is developing a certificate program focused on collaborative career exploration, drawing from the CDP Toolkit and his own methodology of Collaborative Moral Inquiry. He’s also exploring ways to adapt IF’s toolkit to asynchronous, large-scale conversations—bringing CDP principles into new formats and spaces.
“So all that’s very exciting. And although the initial training has come to an end, my wheels are already turning around how I can stay involved, whether that’s offering exercises back into the toolkit, getting to know more people through additional trainings or other programming that IF does. It’s all very exciting to me.”
Ultimately, for Brian, the Coach Training wasn’t just a learning experience—it was a model of what ethical, imaginative, and collaborative design can look like.
“It was a terrific experience. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to do this work with care—and do it well.”
Want to Become a Collaborative Discussion Coach?
Our next CDP Coach Training cohort is this September. You may also be interested in specialized Coach Training, with CDP Fellows Dr Lori Britt (Civic Collaboration), Dr John Igwebuike (Active Listening and Collaboration), or Dr Don Waisenan (Creative Collaboration)—see our Events page for the full list of upcoming workshops and training.
You must log in to access this content.
More Ways to Collaborate
The Collaborative Discussion Toolkit is free and accessible to anyone interested in promoting inclusive, thoughtful dialogue. If you’d like to learn more about options for support hosting a workshop or specialty Certificate Program in your classroom, workplace, or community, reach out to us.
👉 Start using the free Collaborative Discussion Toolkit
👉 Join a free webinar for an Introduction to the Toolkit
👉 Contact us for support running a workshop for your team or group
👉 Subscribe to the Collaborative Discussion Project newsletter for Toolkit activities, tips and tricks every Monday
👉 Donate to the Interactivity Foundation to keep supporting valuable dialogue work and programs
