Over the last 7 years, we have produced 304 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.

Got Conflict? Based on the works of Dr. Dudley Weeks, Pattie Porter, Founder, and Host, highlighted the key ingredients to conflict and the essential steps to conflict resolution based on his book…

• Posted by ADRhub.com- Werner Institute on January 24, 2017 in Featured News & Articles (Change)…

I remember where I was on January 28, 1986.

I had just arrived at a rural hospital in New York on a work trip when I saw the horrible video of the disintegration of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Everyone was stunned. There would be no work accomplished that day.

73 seconds after liftoff, there was…

Because I do so much work with couples in distress, it’s inevitable I’ll work with couples in the midst of a divorce. So, I’m often there from the announcement through the final paperwork, which gives me great insight into the entire process from start to finish.

One trend I see over and over again is the notion of “I just want to get this over with.” After so much turmoil, distress, and conflict, it’s not unusual for at least one partner to exhaust himself/herself and concede…

In this program, our guest will discuss how 'isms' and words can have power in your everyday life. As an example: 'A problem well defined is half-solved'. And, what is complaining? Is it a statement of how you really feel? Or, are you boasting? Join Bob Berlin as he gives further insight to our use of words and what they really mean.…

• Posted by ADRhub.com- Werner Institute on January 17, 2017 in Featured News & Articles (Change)…

Differences matter to us.  Mediators should not try to push past those differences.  Read the blog here:

As the parent of three, I’m always on the hunt for ways to incentivize (bribe) them to do what I want. Now, you may be tempted to believe that incentivizing children is the easy way out – or even wrong. But, think about it this way: We’re all “incentivized.” Would you show up for work if you weren’t getting paid?

Recently, I read something that’s really helped me get the most of my incentivizing strategy. According to research, the loss you feel when something is taken away…

Every job has the opportunity to work for peace if you know how to look for it. Join professor, practitioner, and educator David J. Smith and Stephen Kotev as they discuss how to get a job as a Peacemaker. Whether it is thinking differently about the job…

• Posted by ADRhub.com- Werner Institute on January 10, 2017 in Featured News & Articles (Change)…

So, when you finish reading this blog, please let me know … which attitude do you think is better?

I know several octogenarians and nonagearians who are very active and still exercising every day.

This blog is a comparison of the approaches of two of them – both are gentlemen.

Tom, in his late 80s, was a scratch golfer in his day. He and his wife travel south every winter to escape the snow and cold temperatures in favor of sunshine and green fairways.

Tom…

After I’ve spent the last two weeks working to draw together the latest research on negotiation and gender, Andrea Schneider comes along and delivers a much better summary and discussion in twelve minutes than I ever could!
Watch this TED talk, and share it with your students!

WARNING – you’ll need to set-aside conventional wisdom to read this post!

Haven’t we all been taught that the less conflict in a marriage, the better? Well, recent studies say that’s actually NOT true. In fact, studies now show that couples who have regular conflict actually are happier in their marriages!

So, let me clarify – what we’ve learned is that couples who report little to no conflict in their marriages score very low on marital happiness surveys. Those who…

One in five adults each year are coping with a diagnosable mental health problem. Even if our problems don't escalate to diagnoses, we all know what it's like to have a bad day. How do we have effective communication when we're impacted by mental health issues, or just trying to talk about them? Dan Berstein, a mediator with bipolar disorder and an expert in…

• Posted by ADRhub.com- Werner Institute on January 03, 2017 in Featured News & Articles (Change)…

If you were witnessing of an emergency situation that was occurring right in front of you, you would do something to help the person in trouble or report the emergency, right?

Well, it turns out that your response might depend on how many other people are present.

Here’s the deal … the more people are present, the less likely you are to help the person in distress. That’s called the “bystander effect.”…

The Texas Conflict Coach® Blog Talk Radio program announces our programs for January.

The following episodes will air every Tuesday from 5:00-5:30 pm PST/7:00-7:30 pm CST/ 8:00-8:30 pm EST.…

Back in graduate school, I loved exploring the different therapy “modalities” out there – psychodynamic, emotionally-focused, Bowenian… I could go on-and-on. But, one more recent way of treating clients and patients really stuck in my mind. And, it’s a theory to which I still subscribe today.

The fancy name is “narrative” therapy, but I just like to call it “self-talk.” Basically, it’s the idea that we can ease our distress by changing what we say to ourselves and modifying…

Humans like to give gifts to each other.  Why is that tendency assumed to be out of the question, once conflict arises.  What if we can get back to being our normal, generous selves, even toward the person we've been fighting with?  Read the blog here.