Collaboration in a Box™ Card Deck
A clear, practical way to understand what’s really driving conflict—and what to do about it.
Coming Soon
For the first time ever, Collaboration in a Box™ will be available to purchase directly—without needing to attend a full training or work with me one-on-one.
This is the same tool I use to teach teams and individuals how to get clear on what they’re actually solving for—before they try to solve anything.
Conflict Isn’t Random. And It’s Not About “Difficult People.”
There is only one reason conflict arises:
- Because needs aren’t being met—or are being threatened.
- Not different personalities.
- Not poor attitudes.
- Not even fundamentally different goals.
And conflict doesn’t usually happen because people have different needs – it typically happens when people have different ways of getting the same needs met and when one person’s approach threatens another person’s ability to meet their own.
That’s when we resist.
That’s when conversations break down.
The Problem Most People Face
Most people don’t know how to identify or articulate their needs clearly.
So instead, they:
- Express positions (“We need to do it this way”)
- Make requests or demands
- React emotionally without knowing why
- Try to solve the problem before understanding it
And that’s where things get stuck.
The Shift:
Why Before How
he most effective conversations don’t start with solutions.
They start with clarity.
- What are we actually solving for?
That’s the foundation of my Why Before How approach—and it’s what this tool is designed to make simple and accessible.
How This Tool Was Created
In my first 25 years of mediating interpersonal workplace conflicts, I noticed something:
The same needs were coming up—again and again.
I decided to capture those same needs in a tool that makes identifying and articulating what’s most important. So I:
- Collected and documented the needs I was hearing
- Reviewed patterns across thousands of real mediations
- Distilled them into 52 core needs
These 52 needs represent 100% of the needs I encountered over 25 years of mediating workplace conflicts.
The deck was created five years ago—and since then, I’ve used it in my training to help individuals and teams to:
- Get clear, quickly
- Stay grounded in real conversations
- Move toward solutions that actually work
Introducing:
Introducing: Collaboration in a Box™
A practical, card-based system that helps you:
- Identify what’s really driving a situation
- Understand your own needs (and others’)
- Communicate in a way people can actually hear
- Move from tension → to clarity → to solution
What You’re Getting
This isn’t just a deck of cards.
It’s a complete, supported system designed to help you use it confidently in real situations.
And it’s unlike any tool available in the conflict resolution market.
The Card Deck
52 needs-based cards drawn from real workplace conversations.
Use them to:
- Identify what’s underneath frustration or tension
- Get clarity when you feel stuck or unsure
- Guide conversations toward what actually matters
- Stay focused on needs—not positions or opinions
Mini Training (Self-Paced)
Learn how to:
- Use the cards in one-to-one conversations
- Facilitate check-ins that surface what matters
- Apply the Why Before How approach in real situations
- Navigate moments where things feel tense or unclear
Downloadable Worksheets
Tools to support real application:
- Conversation preparation templates
- Check-in structures
- Decision-making supports
- Reflection tools for ongoing growth
AI Coach
Your built-in thinking partner.
Use it to:
- Prepare for a difficult conversation
- Work through a challenging situation
- Clarify your thinking before you act
- Practice using needs-based language
- Use the cards for daily, weekly, or as-needed personal check-ins
This is where your learning deepens—through real use.
How It Helps (In Real Life)
When you’re preparing for a difficult conversation
- Get clear on your needs before you walk in
When something feels off—but you don’t know why
- Identify what’s not being met
When you’re stuck in frustration or indecision
- Clarify what matters so you can move forward
When you’re working through something with someone else
- Shift from positions → to shared understanding → solutions that truly satisfy you both
Why This Works
When you communicate using needs language instead of positions or solutions:
- People can hear you more clearly
- There is less resistance
- Conversations become more collaborative
- Solutions become easier to find
Because you’re solving for what actually matters.
More Than a Conflict Tool
This isn’t just for “when things go wrong.”
It’s also a tool to:
- Prevent conflict before it starts
- Create clearer agreements about how you work together
- Improve everyday communication
- Build stronger, more collaborative relationships
A Tool That’s Been Behind the Scenes—Until Now
Until now, this tool has only been available inside:
- Team trainings
- Facilitated sessions
- Direct work with me
I created this mini-training package and AI companion coach to make it accessible to individuals—so you can start using it immediately, in your own work and conversations.
Be the First to Access It
The Collaboration in a Box™ Card Deck + Training+ AI Support Package is coming soon.
Join the waitlist to:
- Get early access
- Be first to purchase
- Receive launch details