In many communities around the country there are community mediation centers supported by volunteer mediators. Community Boards of San Francisco is the oldest community mediation center in the country, started in 1976. The philosophy of community mediation centers is to empower community…

Peace builders have to be willing to get vulnerable in their marketing.

In a professional field, dominated by people familiar—and comfortable—with the way that influence, quality, and communication, worked under Industrial Revolution rules, this can be a difficult process to emabark upon.

Peace builders of all kinds—conflict resolution…

Emergent Peacebuilding Design: 

Reframing our Approach to Local Peacebuilding

Presented by Gail Ervin, PhD.…

I have two nieces getting married this summer and naturally, they are very excited – creating wedding websites and making plans. And I certainly don’t want to rain on their special day …

however, we all know that hard times can also be hard of a marriage. And sometimes there will be disagreements and probably some fights too.…

The U.S. Department of Agrculture's Office of the Ombudsperson is seeking a Volunteer Intern, part- or full-time for two to four months. The internship offers an excellent exposure to a growing Ombuds program and the chance to acquire significant experience working with USDA Ombuds.



The Secretary of Agriculture created the Office of the Ombudsperson as part of the Keepseagle v. Vilsack settlement. Operating since the summer of 2015, the Office aims to…

“How old are you feeling right now?” It’s a question I often ask my clients, especially when a couple is in the midst of an argument in my office. Why? Because oftentimes, we don’t realize that, in the middle of conflict, we revert right back to our childhood.

It may sound a bit psychodynamic, but when two people are arguing, they often don’t realize that they’re behaving like the child or adolescent they “thought” they had said good-bye to years ago.

For example, let’s…

 …

What can you do when your neighbors are noisy, don't respect your boundaries, commit illegal acts, and even threaten and harass you and your family? Bob Borzotta of ABC News is here -- he's the author of Neighbors From Hell - Managing Today's Brand of Conflict Close to Home. He will be speaking…

I think so.  I think studying transformative mediation at least teaches you how to behave wisely.  Read the blog here. 

Yesterday, I attended Senator Debbie Smith’s funeral service – such a sad day.

Debbie valiantly fought a battle with brain cancer and approached it just like she did everything else – with strong determination and a firm sense of purpose.

She wasn’t a quitter by any stretch of the imagination and gave that hideous disease all she had.…

How many times has someone told you the keys to effective communication? How many are there–5, 10, 20? Sometimes, it’s hard to keep them all straight.

So, with the help of Michael S. Broder, Ph.D, who wrote about this in the Huffington Post, I’ve condensed the keys to effective communication to just three. Read on!

1. Give Feedback — When you give feedback, be as specific as possible. The most effective feedback is given in a constructive manner,…

Got Conflict? If you have a conflict with someone, and are not sure how to handle it, then let us know. Here is your opportunity to ask your question with Conflict Management experts…

Negotiation 101: How To Sell Design Ideas To Skeptical Clients

5 persuasive tactics for faster…

When you are in conflict, it’s pretty easy to blame a lot on the other person. If only he/she would ___________ (fill in the blank to personalize).

Yet conflicts have a lot to do with us and our contribution to them.

What do I mean?

When things have broken down with another person, here are 6 questions to ask ourselves to figure out if it’s worthwhile to attempt a collaborative conversation with him/her.

As you read through them, you…

My neighbor just left after spending about an hour and a half with me, sipping tea and chatting. Yes, it’s all very 1950’s, but alas–this is the beauty of freelancing! As we were visiting, I noticed myself slipping into teenage-girl mode, gossiping about people we both know. And, all the while, I knew it was wrong.

Or, was it?

I thought I would do a little research on the subject, and it turns out that gossiping can actually be good for you–if you do it the right way.…

My neighbor just left after spending about an hour and a half with me, sipping tea and chatting. Yes, it’s all very 1950’s, but alas–this is the beauty of freelancing! As we were visiting, I noticed myself slipping into teenage-girl mode, gossiping about people we both know. And, all the while, I knew it was wrong.

Or, was it?

I thought I would do a little research on the subject, and it turns out that gossiping can actually be good for you–if you do it the right way.…

Over the last 7 years, we have produced over 265 podcasts with experts from all over the world. Each month we will feature one of these programs in our "The Best of the Past" episodes. Our theme for the month of February is: Love Relationships

It is said that men and women speak different languages and if you don’t understand the subtle communication differences between the genders then general understanding, cooperation, productivity, and stress…

Sometimes, a community can be overwhelmed. Like Boston was in 2015 with almost 100 inches on snow.

Think about it – that’s an 8 foot high snow pile!

Firefighters were spending their time digging out hydrants and then doing it all over again as the snow accumulated.

There are 13,683 of them!!

Everyone was trying…

As a prelude to its eleventh annual conference, the International Ombudsman Association will offer several training programs in Seattle, April 8-10.  The trainings are open to anyone and are not limited to Ombuds or conference attendees. 

The programs include:…

Life is full of choices, and the menu of options starts as soon as we wake up in the morning. Should I get out of bed? What should I have for breakfast? What’s the latest I can push my departure-time before I’m late to work? (a favorite, of course).

What few people realize is that some of the most important choices will happen when we’re in the midst of conflict. In a recent article in The Huffington Post by author and therapist Margaret Paul, Ph.D., the author lays out the…