Featured Blogs Section
Featured Blog Posts
Mother Lode Claim Jump
The two groups were equally divided and the Superior Court was wise’in sending this to Mediation.
Hosting Gregorio Billikopf's Empathic Listening Audio Seminar
Last year, I came across an awesome free resource for learning mediation and as part of that, empathic listening.
Civil Discourse: The Means or the End?
This article discusses facilitating political dialogue with Make America Dinner Again.
Online Dispute Resolution Moves to the Courts
The second half of 2018 has seen a marked increase in conferences including, if not focused solely on, developments in Online Dispute Resolution and online mediation.
The £1 Million Investigation
A lack of attention to investigating an accusation of assault has cost King’s College NHS Foundation Trust a reported £1 million payout.
Conflict Resolutions for 2019
I’d like to wish all of you the very best of health and happiness for the coming year. And may it be a peaceful one, too.
The Ripple Effect of Good Conflict Skills
When one person gets better conflict skills, the whole organization can shift.
4 Handy Principles for Deciding When You Can’t Agree
When you can’t agree even with your best effort, having fallback criteria can break the agreement logjam and allow you get on with other things.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
This article discusses a Florida Court-Ordered mediation with a Limited English Proficient (LEP) party.
My Favorite Resource Featuring Peter Salem
My Favorite Resource, features interviews with our court ADR friends across the country to learn about their favorite resource. This month, Resource Center Director Nicole Wilmet spoke with Peter Salem, Executive Director of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts to learn about his favorite resource.
Choose the Road Less Traveled in Conflict
Are you stuck in a rut in your relationship with someone?
Implicit Biases May Be A Good Thing!
There may be another and more positive way of looking at implicit biases; it is simply a question of “framing”.
New Trainers Guides
Every person, every organization, and every community faces conflict throughout the life cycle. These guides are designed to help everyone.
Peacemaking: The Fulfillment of the Legal Profession
"If you want to make peace with your enemy then work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner." ~ Nelson Mandela
Where To, MeToo?
In her journal article, Professor Sternlight discusses her views on the potentially negative consequences of mandatory arbitration in the employment context as well as the waning impact of social movements such as MeToo.
Self-Imposed Ground Rules: The Only Kind Worth Having
“You might be wrong. Your voice can be big. Genuinely listen.”
Dispute System Design for Facebook
This article discusses dispute system design criteria for the kind of institution that Mr. Zuckerberg suggested.
The £1 Million Investigation
A lack of attention to investigating an accusation of assault has cost King’s College NHS Foundation Trust a reported £1 million payout.
4 Handy Principles for Deciding When You Can’t Agree
When you can’t agree even with your best effort, having fallback criteria can break the agreement logjam and allow you get on with other things.
Thomas-Kilmann, Hammer’s ICSI, or Style Matters?
Trainers considering use of Style Matters as a conflict style inventory should be aware of two other options as well, the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument and the Hammer Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory.
Stop Being a Damned Fool
Many lawyers are frustrated with their actual clients at times and are tempted to tell them the same thing – and sometimes do.
Mediation Certification: The Sparrow and the Peacock
Having taught mediation skills for over twenty-five years and, more recently, having developed an online mediation training curriculum, it’s only natural that I stand as a zealous proponent of mediation training.
Q&A: Kidnapping and Extortion: Just another day at the office
Michael A. Guidry is the founder of Guidry Group, a security services company, dealing in kidnapping and ransom.
Findings from an Evaluation of Eight Foreclosure Mediation Programs
One great benefit of evaluating eight programs with different approaches to resolving the same cases is that it allowed me to uncover program design factors and other variables that promote program success.
Interruption and Self-Determination
Chaos? A mediation out of control? A weak mediator? I don’t think so.
Conflict Can Lead to a Heavy Heart
Since the 1300s the adjective heavy – referring to the heart – has been used in the sense of “weighed down with grief or sadness”.
Every Dispute is Two Disputes
The theme of the session was that while being intelligent is good, it is also very important to have emotional intelligence; the ability to tap into the emotions of others, or to read people.
Saving Homes, Building Understanding
This new evaluation looks at four-plus years of data across eight different programs to provide a comprehensive analysis of foreclosure mediation in Illinois, and to highlight how differences in program models impacted outcomes.
If You'd Only Told Me
Had we known about the other person’s perspective and experience about us things may not have gone on so far and become as difficult.
Anticipatory Governance: Do You Know What It Is?
I finally found the right phrase to describe what city planning is, and what city planners do. Planners provide ideas, analyses and organized settings in which governance (i.e. collaborative problem-solving) can take place.
Happy Thanksgiving !!!!
Thanksgiving was a few days ago, and I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Turkey Day!
Is the Einstellung Effect Interfering With Your Problem Solving?
The Einstellung Effect is a cognitive trap that prevents us from seeing better or simpler solutions to problems we’re trying to solve. Here’s how to recognize it and reduce its effect.
Good Work Meetings Promote Harmony, Lessen Conflict
How can well run meetings reduce conflict and promote harmony at work?
Carrying the Weight of Conflict
It often seems that we carry a heaviness in ourselves – our hearts, our heads, our whole beings – when we are in conflict with another person.