American voters have lost confidence in the ability of our political leaders to solve the most serious of problems: a staggering deficit, the need for jobs, a broken tax system. They feel frustrated, worried, angry and ashamed by the way our elected officials act. They blame a lack of respectful dialogue in the political system and politicians' unwillingness to engage across party lines for the Confidence Crisis in which we find ourselves.

In 1995, Dr.…

In this episode of the Conflict Specialists Show, Dave Hilton interviews Jason Dykstra from Absolution Mediation and Social Medi8r.

Some of the topics in today's episode:

• Social Media and Conflict
  
  
• Relational Conflict
  
  
• Hot Buttons and Listening
  
  
• Conflict…

More and more people are seeking free or very low cost divorce options, often to their detriment. The following is an article written for clients who are considering a DIY divorce.  It can be found here: http://www.keepoutofcourt.com/entry/-pros-and-cons-of-diy-divorce-

Everywhere you look…

Mediator Registry Now Provides Low Cost Mediations for the Los Angeles Legal Community

The Mediator Registry provides a listing and designation service for mediators worldwide. In early 2013, the Registry…

The Texas Conflict Coach® Blog Talk Radio program announces the following episodes starting

in the month of  May, held every Tuesday night from 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 7th :     Parenting Discipline for Toddlers to Teens: How to Avoid the ‘Countdown to Meltdown’

                    Guest:  Barbara…

Although Organizational Ombuds have become an important embedded ADR tool for many organizations, legal protections for the profession remain uncertain.  Whether or not an Ombuds can successfully assert a privilege has not been extensively developed in case law and there are no statutes on point.  This is one reason why general and outside counsel are reluctant to support an Ombuds for their organization, despite the benefits.…

In my latest blog post, I describe a conflict I saw arise on near me on a plane.  It demonstrated many of the principles of the transformative theory of conflict.

One of the things that happens when an interpersonal conflict begins to brew is a need to decide whether or not to raise the issue, concern, etc. with the other person. And how and when to do so, if that is the choice we make. This conundrum is often complicated for those who have a tendency to ‘bottle things up’ which essentially translates into containing thoughts and feelings and a hesitancy to share what is happening.

Let’s take the imagery of bottling things up a little further…

Check out Prof. Kristen Blankley of UNL discussing Limited Scope Representation in her recent short TED-style presentation "How to Get More Clients!  Thinking About Unbundling Legal Services to Settle…

Learn how conflict coaching can help you change those dynamics to manage conflict and communicate more productively with your aging parents and adult siblings. You will learn what a conflict coach does, and will take away some tips on how to get unstuck from patterns of…

The Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) is delighted to announce a new series of press releases dedicated to public education about healthy conflict resolution in our families, our communities, our workplaces and our world.

Please…

In this episode of the Conflict Specialists Show, Dave Hilton interviews Lee Jay Berman from the American Institute of Mediation.

Some of the topics in today's episode:

• Complex Commerical Mediation
• Attorney-Mediators vs Non-Attorney Mediators
• Fallacy of Impasse
• Heavy Metal…

Increasing Referrals to Small Claims Mediation Programs…

Increasing Referrals to Small Claims Mediation Programs

Guest writer Heather Scheiwe Kulp, Harvard Negotiation & Mediation Clinical Program at Harvard Law School 

She will be presenting at this year's annual ACR-GNY Conference June 20th […

Rage is a word that describes a strong emotion that sometimes evolves when we are in conflict. It is not necessarily an immediate reaction. Rather, it is one that often signals an escalation of feelings such as anger and hurt about a person and/or an issue. The build-up erupts into a state of being furious, incensed, and out of control of our words, thoughts, and emotions.

This week’s blog considers that rage, like some other ‘four-letter words’ stated fiercely, is an extreme…

Tune in to ACR Blog Radio on Thursday, April 25 at 2:00pm EST for our next show featuring the ACR New England Chapter (NE-ACR). 

"Conflict, Communication and…

In this episode of the Conflict Specialists Show, Dave Hilton interviews Louise Phipps Senft from Baltimore Mediation.

Some of the topics in today's episode:

• Transformative Mediation
• Relational Mediation
• Transformative vs Evaluative, Facilitative and Narrative Mediation
• Hopi…

Empathy is the Secret Weapon



Having the ability to combat hate requires skills that are also necessary of mediators and other conflict professionals.  One such skill is…

Lately, it seems as if everybody has been writing about MOOCS. I'm surprised we haven't seen Hollywood personages step in and do their part.

This piece by Andrew Delbanco in The New Republic is the most intelligent piece of writing on the topic I've seen in months - and in MOOC-time, a few months are the equivalent of a few centuries in traditional education.…