Zeitouna is Arabic for "olive tree" or "olive". In the sumer of 2002, a…

First, please let me confess that the title of this post was not my creative idea.  I read it in a book called The Conflict Pivot – Turning Conflict into Peace of Mind by Tammy Lenski.

The book really made sense to…

People regularly talk about the role of language in military and political contention – especially with respect to the Israel Palestine conflict. Language plays a role in war and military conflicts. The problem is language can either enlighten or enclose. I address this a little bit more in the posting below but what do people think of language in Israel Palestine conflict? What have you noticed that either opens up for constrains our understanding.

Don…

It turns out transformative mediation is the most effective approach when lawyers are involved.  It allows for the bad news about the other side's commitment to their perspective to be communicated directly and clearly; and it allows for the good news that the other side isn't pure evil to be communicated; and it allows for the highest quality conversation possible about both the heart of the dispute and the possibilities for improvement.  …

I love my job for a myriad of reasons, but one reason is that it always gives me inspiration for this blog!

Sure enough, this morning, it happened again.

I had a client come in who is young, ambitious, and passionate about his future career in education. Problem is, he’s gotten the run-around from his University regarding which classes to take and which he can skip. To boot, he has “philosophical” differences with many of the teaching methods he’s…

As more and more teachers in the area of negotiation and dispute resolution consider taking their courses (or, parts of them) online, I’ve received many queries of the “How do you get started?” variety. And, I’m not the only one fielding these questions. I'd like to share a resource, addressing these questions.

Together with co –presenters and –authors Jennifer Parlamis (University of San Francisco), Roy Lewicki (Ohio State University) and…

When we are in an interpersonal conflict we may find ourselves reacting when the other person tries to have or succeeds at getting the last word. Or, we may be the one who is trying or succeeds in doing so. According to one source, the definition of the phrase the last word includes: “the last thing said in an argument”; “information that everyone considers to be the best”;…

Conflict is inevitable in life. Our responses to it are affected by both our human nature and our cultural backgrounds. Cultural differences can be the cause of conflict and can complicate our efforts to resolve it. In this program, we will explore ways of addressing conflicts involving people from different cultures.

Craig Runde is the Director of the…

Tips for Lawyers When Working with a Mediator

In his column in the latest issue of …

The first time I heard this story, I hadn’t taken mediation training yet. Now I can appreciate it sooo much more. Please hang in there with me … it’s worth it.It’s September 1978 and President Jimmy Carter is working hard at Camp David to keep all of the parties at the table for the Middle East Peace Talks. You can imagine how tricky that was … with more stumbling blocks than…

A recent story in The Globe and Mail profiles a remarkable law student named Sam Michaels from York University’s Osgoode Hall. Michaels is the Founder and Director of a legal start-up that addresses a pressing need:…

It happens all the time. A couple will come to me for marriage counseling, and I can see the fear in the husband’s eyes as soon as he figures out that this “Britt” isn’t a man.It’s not that he’s necessarily sexist, but I can so much as hear the voice in his head that says, “Great, now these two women are going to gang up on me.”

A recent…

A friend of mine – I’ll call him Max – recently had a disagreement with his sister, and he was agonizing to me about it and how to mend things. When he was brainstorming how to get her to talk to him Max said, “maybe I ought to go with an olive branch in hand”. I asked him how he thought that would work and he said, “It’s a goodwill gesture – a symbol of peace – and if she throws it back at me I’ll know the timing is wrong!” Max’s use of the expression inspired me to consider its derivation,…

Bill Warters, an expert on conflict resolution in higher education, will describe the Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution program based in the Department of Communication at Wayne State University in Detroit. He will review dispute resolution in Higher Education generally and…

It is our pleasure to invite you to join us at the 35th United States Ombudsman  Association Annual Conference this October in Lincoln, Nebraska.   Lin Quenzer, Lincoln’s Ombudsman, is our conference host. 

We believe you will find our professions have a lot in common and that our conference sessions will afford you the opportunity for professional growth.  For example, the one-day pre-conference training, Understanding and Managing High Conflict…

Tips for Lawyers When Working with a Mediator

In his column in the latest issue of The Professional Family Mediator, Chip Rose writes about the idea of “The Perfect Mediation.”

As a highly experienced mediator, Mr. Rose acknowledges that a…

"What's Happening in Conflict Resolution" is a weekly round up of the all the ADR news, jobs, events and more. Check it out each week and view past versions [HERE].

“Talk To Me”: What It Takes To Be An NYPD Hostage…

Does ‘being right’ have consequences?

Katie Coombs thinks so. She recently wrote a column in my local paper entitled “I’d rather not be right.”

Katie feels that by if you choose to always ‘be right,’ then you risk the relationships that you have.  She commented that she would rather live in a world where people can make mistakes,…