Arkansas Women’s Legislative Caucus
Holds Workshop on Applying Collaborative Skills
in the Legislative Process
 Arkansas State Representative Beverly Pyle |
Another offshoot of the workshop has been the resumption of a retreat for the Women’s Caucus. “We did that historically, but had stopped the retreats in recent years,” Madison said. “As a result of the ‘Beyond Bickering’ workshop, we’re making arrangements to continue it, and there are a lot of bills we’ll be working on together at that event.”
Workshop participants discussed how to create a climate for problem solving and negotiation within the State Legislature, and strategies for legislators to convene consensus processes in their districts to help constituents address their conflicts more effectively.
Rep. Beverly Pyle said the workshop offered fresh ideas for getting “the various sides” to work together more productively, before things turn contentious. “I never really thought of us as bickering,” she said. “But once I really thought about it, I think it really is a good description of what we’ve been doing. It makes sense that collaborative approaches are just a lot more likely to help each side gain something they want.”
For more information on the workshop, or on how to schedule a workshop on collaborative policy making for legislators, contact PCI.