Applied collaboration is a lot like providing therapy. As a clinician, boundaries were an essential element of my work in private practice and in psychiatric hospitals. In order to facilitate any change, people must first feel comfortable enough to consider opening themselves to even the slightest bit of the unknown or unfamiliar. Well defined, transparent, and consistently reinforced boundaries help develop trust in the facilitator of that change and a sense of comfort.

In interest-based negotiation, practiced often through mediations, there is an interesting phenomenon that occurs but is not easily explained.

The “Magic” by Evan Wondolowski 

Focus is a huge enabler of effective collaboration. Your individual ability to unplug from everything else, and fully invest in the purpose and process of collaboration makes all the difference between success and failure.

I often find that metaphors and stories are extremely effective ways of communicating both the importance of enabling factors and tactics and tools to execute.