Now this is an amazing statistic. According to some research done 20 years ago (by the Williams Group), 70% of families will lose some of their inherited wealth to (mostly) estate battles.

In fact, sometimes, more money is funneled to the lawyers than is even there to inherit in the first place!

Seems crazy, doesn’t it?…

As some of you know, I teach Organizational Collaboration and Conflict Resolution through the Creighton program at The Werner Institute. I have come to love the 7 week journey I take three times a year, with a group of engaged students all seeking to make a positive difference in the world.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak about my book, Peace at Work: The HR Manager's Guide to Workplace Mediation at a residency in Omaha. I offered a free copy to participants. Of…

If you’ve been told not to take conflict personally, you only have half the story. Before you can do that, you have to take conflict more personally. In this program,…

(First published on March 16, 2015 at Mediation in Ottawa)

This infographic illustrates why alternative processes of dispute resolution (ADR) such as mediation may be a wiser choice (Read more)

“Pinhole Thinking” … this is one of my favorite new phrases.

What do you see when you look through a pinhole – not much. That’s exactly my point.

“We can’t solve problem by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created it.” Thank-you Albert Einstein for those words of wisdom.

And that’s exactly what happens when people use “pinhole thinking” to try to figure something out.

It’s the same old approach – the same…

“Shifting the Focus from Mediating the Problem to Mediating the Moment.”

Join 20 experienced mediators from Australasia, Europe and the Americas in Italy this June.

 …

Neutrality is physically impossible to attain as a personal attribute for a mediator.

The same applies to the concepts of ‘just outcomes’ and ‘balanced power’. They are all theoretical constructs which do not exist outside of theory.

There is nothing theorists can point to that would indicate to a mediator when these states have been physically achieved. They are subjective concepts subject to infinite…

Hi all,

I’d like to call your attention to a new journal focusing on mediation: Mediation Theory and Practice. This peer-reviewed journal of the UK’s College of Mediators is put out by Equinox Publishing. It is an open-access journal (meaning – that its content will not be restricted behind paywalls). The journal’s head editor is Elizabeth Stokoe, of Loughborough University.

Check out the call for papers for the inaugural volume, here:…

Minnesota is considering legislation that allows divorcing couples to come to their own agreements without judicial oversight.  You can read more about it here.

Did you know that that a recent survey uncovered that conflict avoidance was one of the “Seven Deadly Sins that CEOs won’t admit,” according to the Huffington Post.What? CEO’s are scared of conflict? Then, what hope do the rest of us have?

According to the article, “Why Avoiding Conflict…

What is the difference between communication when it's open and when it's closed? When our defensive barriers go up, we disconnect not only from other people, but also from our own humanity. In this program, we'll explore an innovative approach to communication and conflict resolution training that comes from the tradition of contemplative psychology and mindfulness practice,…

"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].…

Sometimes ideas for blog posts come from the most unlikely places … not from experts in the field, but from every day life.

I suppose the ideal situation for people in conflict is to make an appointment with a mediator, gather around the table, look for common ground and hopefully come to a resolution.

But hey … that happens in very few cases, really. Most of the time, conflict happens and we have to figure a way out of it, or else we are trapped in…

Have you ever written a scathing email to someone with whom you’re involved in a conflict? How about made an angry phone call to vent how hurt you are by the other person’s actions?

Well, I have. And, I almost always regret doing it.

That’s because, in addition to making the other person angry, I’ve sometimes lost entire friendships over my hot-headedness. And, as it turns out, all I needed was a little time and perspective, anyway, to get over my…

Everyday life is filled with interactions between superiors and subordinates. Whether you are up or down the food chain, you have to work with someone who has either more or less power than you. Join Columbia University Professor Peter Coleman, as we…

"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].

New NYPD Training For…

I was thinking the other day about how information helps you to make better choices.

I frequent Starbucks quite a bit, especially when traveling.  THE best thing that Starbucks has done, for me, is to post the calories for the delectable treats you have to stand by when ordering your coffee.

My favorite was their reduced fat berry cake which they…

There have already been major transformative mediation conferences in Italy and Slovenia; and there's a large number of practitioners in the UK.  The Netherlands, too, has been a hub of transformative mediation activity.  And in June, it will host a major conference.  You can read about it here.