The issue before the court was a small claims matter, involving a vehicle defect.

The plaintiff sought out $8,200 in damages and in California the limit in small claims is $10,000

The case was sent to mediation.

The plaintiff outlined his claim.

The defendant said, "You don't understand your not going to get $1.00 dollar.

The plaintiff once again calmly requested the damages.

Once again the defendant stated "You don't seem to understand, you are not…

We live in a pretty black-and-white world sometimes, and I’m always struggling to teach my clients how to live in the “grey” area. But, when it comes to problems, I will often use black-and-white thinking to help my clients come up with solutions.That’s where “unsolvable” vs. “solvable” thinking comes in handy. And, it’s a handy tool to use when talking about conflict resolution, too.…

Disputes come in all shapes and sizes in California. The landlord tenant dispute over a security deposit, the disagreement over a verbal agreement over the sale of an auto and what was considered "AS IS"

In California disputes up to $10,000 can go before the small claims court of each county.

Its a simple process, no attorneys are…

ACUS, the independent agency that promotes improvements in the efficiency, adequacy, and fairness of federal procedures, is seeking a consultant or consultants to undertake a research project that will study procedures and best…

Theater of Witness is a form of performance in which the true life stories of people whose voices haven’t been heard in society are performed by the storytellers themselves as a way for audiences to bear witness to significant social issues. The theater productions are scripted from…

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 […

I am presenting a webinar program on May 15th, entitled "Resolving "Water Wars": Use of Collaboration in Stormwater Conflicts". You can sign up at https://resolvingwaterwars.eventbrite.com. Hope to have you join in.

What does it take to have a healthy relationship?

Research done by relationship expert, John Gottman, indicates that a healthy relationship has a balance between positive and negative feelings between you and the other person. Please note that negative feelings are natural. They just have to be outweighed by positive ones. So, what’s the magic ratio?

According to Professor Gottman, it’s 5 to 1.

So, for every 1 negative…

We all use some model or theoretical approach as we work with our clients. It matters not what type of peacemaking work we are doing. We do so from the foundation of some conceptual construct. More, we aim for the results most frequently associated with that construct. Most of these constructs have a recent origin. Rarely do we think about the evolution of peacemaking.

This article comes to remind you that we can…

I practice transformative mediation.  And I believe that would I do is essentially a different process from those who practice Facilitative mediation.  The latest blog contains a conversation that is typical of the ones I have with other mediators. You can read it here.

A concept I often bring up in couples therapy is the idea of “perpetual conflicts.” These are those pesky arguments that seem to resurface over and over again–without much progress toward resolving them.When people get “stuck” in these perpetual conflicts, I often have them draw one big circle with a small circle inside. The inside circle is filled with “non-negotiables”–things that person WON’T budge on. Keep in mind, this is a very small circle!…

Check out this introduction to our upcoming session at the ABA's Dispute Resolution conference in Seattle, courtesy of John Lande at indisputably.org. 

Attending the conference? Come rattle the cages with us (constructively, of course!).

http://www.indisputably.org/?p=6795 

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].

The Surprising Negotiation Tactic…

One of my colleagues is a ‘communication’ consultant. I love talking with her about conflict resolution because communication is so fundamental to resolving our differences, right?

The last time that she and I had the chance to visit, she told me about the National Communication Association’s…

Originally posted at Calming the Anger Storms

We are posting a new survey to determine your listening desires. The survey will require less than 5 minutes of your time to complete. The results of the survey will be used to determine the content and format of our online radio show.

We need your assistance in order to insure we are…

I’ve come across a common theme when dealing with clients and their anger. And, it’s something we all should have learned as two year-olds.

I’ve learned that an outstanding majority of use “show” our anger instead of “telling” our anger. And, to be truthful, the distinction between the two often causes a lot of problems that end up showing up in my therapy room.…

Reason and Rationale - A Strategy for Authentic Persuasion in Negotiation

Conflict is a dynamic and unfolding process which can be rich with opportunities to explore and understand perspectives. Cinnie Noble, a pioneer of conflict management coaching created the CINERGY™ model in 1999. In her own discovery and journey, she coined the term "conflict intelligence" to mean the competence in our self-awareness, insight into others,…

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].…