Smutny talks plainly. "We meet incessantly for good and for ill." Lucky for us, he spends scant attention on the ills of meetings. Instead, this updated book shows modern facilitators how to welcome all cultures and identities with inclusive procedures like Liberating Structures and Open Space Technology. Get this book, absorb it, and keep it close at hand.

-John E. Perkins, PhD, CEO of Keep the Change Consulting

Whether you're facilitating a weekly staff meeting, workshop or problem-solving session, you want to create an inclusive meeting where all feel welcome and as if their input matters. In Thrive, you'll learn proven tricks of the trade to make people comfortable (even with difficult topics) and engaged in your next meeting.

-Karen Catlin, author of Better Allies

A must-read, so liberating, so compelling, so engaging, and a practical guide for effective facilitators.

-Ernie Cathcart, Cultural Competency Specialist, Wellspring Family Service of Seattle

Thrive captures Dr. Smutny's lifetime commitment to social justice work and improving organizations through intentional leadership. It's practical, inspirational and can help you avoid costly mistakes. His tips on building inclusive conversations with culturally diverse groups are particularly insightful.

-Lee Mozena, founder of Zena Consulting

With forty years of meetings behind me, I wish Thrive had been available at the beginning of my career-so many hard lessons could have been avoided! The blend of practical techniques, real-world examples that I related to, and links to in-depth resources is perfect for the seasoned practitioner or someone just starting out.

-Fred Dock, City of Pasadena Director of Transportation (ret.)

If you are tired of lame meetings with lip service solutions, Thrive: The Facilitator's Guide to Radically Inclusive Meetings is the guide you have been waiting for. In wrestling with the demons of racism, privilege and marginalization of women firsthand, Mark Smutny has developed enviable self-awareness muscles. He reinforces his learnings with how-to scripts to get you into the inclusive facilitation ring yourself. True to its title, everyone in the ring comes out winners, having built a better world in the process. If you facilitate difficult meetings, this is the only guidebook you need. If your meetings are easy, you need this book to find out why you aren't getting results.

-Marie Gervais, PhD, CEO of Shift Management Inc.