Internationally acclaimed speaker Dana Caspersen will be guest speaker during St. Johnsbury Rotary Club's weekly meeting Sept. 16. Caspersen is the author of "Changing the Conversation: The 17 Principles of Conflict Resolution," a book geared toward changing lives. She will describe methods that can be used to turn conflicts into opportunities for growth.

One of her principles is, you can't change how other people act in a conflict, and often you can't change your situation. But you can change what you do. We have all been in circumstances of conflict when we failed to "think through" the problem; we lashed out; we were rash; and we emerged from the experience with regret. The circumstance may have been in your work, family, or civic life. All areas of our lives can been enhanced by knowing how to "change the conversation."

Caspersen's Changing the Conversation has been called "an invaluable handbook [to] teach you how to transform your mind-set and move beyond the destructive cycle of attack and counterattack … to create dialogue and find lasting solutions."

Caspersen says, of the services she offers, "My clients include teachers, executives, parents, artists, small business owners, social service groups, international dance companies, arts collectives, schools, at-risk youth, municipalities and universities.

In collaboration with communities, governments and foundations in the U.S., Europe and the UK, I have designed and directed multiple large scale action dialogues on challenging topics ranging from immigration to violence. These events integrate simple physical action as an instrument to enable engaging and powerful exchange between participants."

For more information about Dana Caspersen, go to https://danacaspersen.com/

St. Johnsbury Rotary meets at Union Baptist Church, on Route 5 south of St. Johnsbury, at 12:15 p.m. A lunch will be available at the cost of $15. For those interested in only attending the program, Caspersen will be speaking at 1 p.m. Those wishing to join Rotarians for the meal need to contact St. Johnsbury Rotary Club's president, Frank Empsall, for a headcount, via his email at: frankaempsall@aim.com.