Gratitude communication involves expressing appreciation or thanks to others. Hear powerful, real-life stories of individuals who shared moments of gratitude in their work lives. Take away tips to guide you in your own life, whether handling a difficult situation or simply savoring a situation that's already amazing.

Dr. Ross Brinkert is an associate professor of…

Power, in the field of conflict resolution, is defined as the ability to bring about a preferred outcome. Mediation practitioners further differentiate between the use of power to impose an outcome and the use of power to bring out the conflict parties’ preferred outcome...Read more

As the pressure for change ramps up, we are talking a lot about “culture change” in the justice system. If we are going to throw this term around, we have to be ready to confront what it really means.

“Culture change” does not mean tinkering with the works (as in, let’s shorten the time period for discoveries or the number of expert witnesses who can be called in a trial). It does not mean “filling the gaps” (as is, let’s add a legal aid worker or an advice…

"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].…

Communicating with your children can be a real challenging. Does it feel more like "kommunication?"

What got me thinking about this was an article I read last week about how to get your kids to talk. The columnist was on the right track with her suggestion to ask them questions ... but if she had taken our mediation class, she would have thought of even better…

For an example of discursive contamination and which direction it flows see the following site:http://peaceandconflictpolitics.com/

Our next nominees for the Access to Justice All-Stars team are the members of the Family Duty Counsel team at the Windsor, Ontario courthouse. Comprising Kaitlyn McCabe, Jim Oxley, Stephanie Johnson and Annette Stoehr, and supported by Legal Aid Workers Lucille McDonald (pictured) and Vicky Vere, this team drew many positive compliments from Windsor family SRLs participating in the National SRL Study (2013).…

"Work-Life Balance" is quite the buzz phrase in psychology. In fact, the private practice where I'm employed specializes in helping people gain that balance.

It may be important, but it can also be elusive. In my experience mediating divorces, I find the lack of work-life balance can lead many couples toward infidelity and, ultimately, divorce.

Just last week, an article was…

On a recent post on the Conflict Coaching Guild on LinkedIn I posed the following question:

“Generally-speaking, a common reaction - when we are provoked by something another person says or does (or doesn't say or do) - is to make assumptions about their motive, character, etc.

This tendency often heightens in intensity and malevolence if the perceived offense is repeated and our emotional reaction increases.

However, why do you suppose we do not check…

I have spent most of my adult life working with people that are in a crisis of some kind. They find their way to me to resolve conflict, internal or external. And in all that time of working with people in this way, I have found that there is one thing that is more toxic to the system than anything else: keeping secrets.

I think often of this time, years ago, when I was invited to a Dim Sum brunch by my brother-in-law with his Chinese guru. In attendance were several other students of…

What can you do when faced with a conflict avoidant leader? Join us in a fast-paced discovery conversation of the avoidant personality symptoms as we explore how to work with and support them. Walk away with insight and techniques to master this frustrating phenomenon in the workplace AND personal relationships.

Rachel Schaming:

Organizational and…

Heather Hui-Litwin volunteers as a duty counsel with Law Help Ontario, offering assistance to civil litigants in the Toronto courts. Heather’s personal experience as a self-represented litigant in a civil lawsuit means that she has a unique understanding of and empathy for the needs of SRLs. Read More

At the ABA's DR conference in Miami, an initiative that had started the previous year turned into a tradition: Several dozen teachers offered each other use of their teaching materials to enhance each others' classrooms. It was such a wonderful environment to be in, and offered a great packet of take-aways for teachers. Below, is a write up of the materials shared, complete with links you can use to access them if these were available. Also see the…

SAN JOSE, CALIF. – April 29, 2014 – Modria, provider of the world’s leading online dispute resolution (ODR) platform, announced today that it has acquired Netherlands-based Juripax B.V., an online mediation software provider. Juripax has the leading European online dispute resolution platform, helping mediators and dispute resolvers, companies, and consumers resolve disputes…

The Texas Conflict Coach® Blog Talk Radio program announces the following episodes starting in the month of May, held every Tuesday night from 5:00-5:30 pm PST/7:00-7:30 pm CST/8:00-8:30 pm EST.

To participate, go to the designated link for each program or call-in live at 347-324-3591.

May 6th:  The Gratitude Opportunity…

How many people does it take to have a conflict?

That's one of the questions we ask in our Beginning Mediation and Conflict Resolution class. Often students respond with "two," but the answer in fact is only "one."

When one person decides that things are not OK and seeks change ... that's when the spark of conflict is ignited. If the other person is fine with it, then the conflict goes away and they move on. But if the other person doesn't agree to the change, then there's more…

If you'd like to know more about transformative mediation, here's a free chance to learn from some of the leaders in the field.  Read about these free teleconferences here.

A post on my blog at:http://peaceandconflictpolitics.com/ The post deals with issues in the reframing extremist messages.