Leadership is a Conversation.
Learn to guide every interaction with purpose. Master a practice that builds trust and invites authenticity, The Art of Convening®.
We’re living in an Era of Disconnection
You feel it every day: in conversations that stay on the surface and in moments where real connection seems just out of reach.
It’s not just a feeling
-it’s a fact.
According to WBUR/NPR, American adults are spending 30% less time socializing face-to-face than they did just 20 years ago.
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The disconnection shows up in countless ways
Important voices go unheard while the same few people dominate the conversation.
People seem distracted, with one eye on the clock and the other on their phone.
The energy in the room fizzles out just when you need it most.
Real connection feels rare, and conversations often stay frustratingly shallow.
This isn’t just about wasted time
The cost of this disconnection is far more—it’s broken trust, missed opportunities, and the exhausting weight of trying to hold things together when genuine connection is missing.
What if the path to a deeper connection isn’t about what we do, but about how we show up?
This is The Art of Convening®
A practice where meaningful connection isn't about control, performance, or having all the right answers.
It's about showing up with intention, listening to understand, and creating the space for others to do the same. This, to us, is the heart of leadership.
When we connect in this way, we change everything:
Trust replaces tention.
Quiet voices find their courage.
Confusion turns into clarity and forward momentum.
A Practice You Can Learn.
The Art of Convening® is a practical framework for connection that you can apply to any interaction. It’s a leadership practice built on presence, trust, and genuine engagement—one designed for everyone.
At its heart is the Convening Wheel, a set of nine principles that give you a clear path to turn everyday engagements into opportunities for genuine connection and progress.
The framework will teach you how to:
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Begin every interaction with a shared purpose.
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Create an atmosphere that invites authentic participation from everyone.
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Ensure every voice is heard, valued, and understood.
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Lead conversations forward to reach clear, shared, and meaningful outcomes.
The Convening Wheel
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At The Art of Convening® we know leadership isn’t about control or putting on a show.
It’s about showing up fully, listening deeply, and creating spaces where others can do their best work.
This is The Art of Convening
Trust replaces tension.
Quiet voices find their courage.
Groups stop talking in circles and start taking aligned action.
When we change how we gather, we change what’s possible:
What is The Art of Convening?
The Art of Convening® is a leadership practice built on presence, trust, and genuine engagement.
As its core is the Convening Wheel, a framework with nine practical elements that help you design gatherings where real trust and alignment happen.
You’ll learn to:
Clarify what really matters and help everyone align on shared intentions
Craft invitations that make people want to participate authentically
Build containers where every voice gets heard
Guide groups to engage in productive discussion and commit to action
AoC works for anyone who gathers people and wants those moments to actually matter:
Leaders and facilitators who care about impact | Educators and faith leaders | Change agents and community builders
Whether you’re running a team meeting, leading a classroom, shepherding a congregation, or organizing your community
— AoC helps you lead from a place of presence and get people moving in the same direction
AoC in The Real World: Across Sectors and Settings
People use AoC in all kinds of settings where human connection and alignment matter:
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Your Path to Leading as a Convener
Join a free call or download our guide to experience what AoC feels like in practice.
Master the 9-step Convening Wheel and apply it to the gatherings that matter most to you.
Make the convener mindset part of how you show up. Transform every meeting, conversation and gathering you lead.
A live, 75-minute experience of what it feels like to be in a convened space.
A Practice Rooted in Wisdom
The Art of Convening® was created by Craig and Patricia Neal and a community of inspired conveners.
It has grown from decades of experience guiding transformational conversations across sectors and settings.
At its heart is a simple truth:
How we gather shapes what we can do — and who we can become!
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Rooted in the acclaimed 2011 book The Art of Convening and proven across industries worldwide.
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You can start using these ideas right away, while the deeper practices develop over time.
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Develops you as a leader, not just your facilitation skills.
Ready to Lead Differently?
The world has enough meetings. What we need are gatherings that matter.
And leaders who know how to create them.
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You bring people together. But Something’s Missing.
In the community
In the classroom
In the meeting
You're not alone in feeling this way.
And we're hearing that it's time for a change.
We live in a world that’s moving fast, yet struggling to make meaningful progress.
Too many spaces are performative.
Too many voices go unheard.
Too many decisions get made without the trust they require.
The Art of Convening is a practice of slowing down — to listen, to connect, and to lead from a place of presence — so that we can move forward with clarity and care.
How it works
We believe transforming our communities starts by transforming our conversations. The Art of Convening incorporates our approach to teaching the art and science of putting your purpose into action.
It’s a model we call the Convening Wheel, 9 steps to design inspirational, productive, and transformative meetings and conversations.
The Convening Wheel
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A simple, powerful framework for designing trust-centered gatherings.
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The human skills that help people feel seen, heard, and valued.
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In team meetings, retreats, classrooms, boardrooms, living rooms — anywhere people come together.
Want to experience what’s possible when presence and purpose guide the way you gather?
We invite you to begin with three simple steps:
An easy-to-fill-out assessment showing you how to get the most out of The Art of Convening.
A live, 75-minute experience of what it feels like to be in a convened space.
