It seems that at times after a dispute is over we second-guess what we said or did. This expression – second-guess – implies that we have made a first guess and the further implication is that we are now wondering about and doubting the wisdom of our initial way of handling the situation. This suggests the time-worn truth that thinking before we speak and act helps to eliminate regrets and self-recrimination that typically accompany second-guessing. The idea about this week’s blog is more…

The newest University of California campus has announced the appointment of Deidre “De” Acker as its first Campus Ombudsperson, effective July 16, 2012. Chancellor Dorothy Leland made the announcement earlier this week. Leland said that the new Ombuds “will actively engage students, faculty, staff and university constituents in dialog, negotiation and problem-solving to ensure that members of our campus community receive fair and equitable treatment.”

Acker has served as assistant…

When we expect that an interaction is likely to be contentious, the chances are that many of us get the jitters.  We worry about what the other person may say or do, how we will cope, whether things will get out of hand and other possible reactions. Often the reasons for these jitters do not have a basis in reality. However, previous experiences, others’ narratives about what has happened to them in like circumstances and a wide range of fears may preoccupy us and lead us to feel unsettled,…

(Originally published by the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation on June 20, 2012 under the title, Letting Clients Take Responsibility)

Recently, I mediated with a young couple where neither of the two had completed high school. As a transformative practitioner, I tried to ensure that I supported, rather than…

In this post guest blogger, Arnold Zeman, tells a story of two mediation clients who shifted toward working together much more effectively.  Arnold says it wasn't magic.  

Cinnie Noble- Welcome to this month's virtual book club! Over the month, my…

Originally posted at www.mediationbytes.wordpress.com

I recently attended a session entitled "What Mediators Can Learn from the Brain Science of Grief Counseling" at the Northwest Dispute Resolution Conference in Seattle. I was interested that the lecturer, Professor John Medina, a molecular biologist fed up with current…

As do all human activities, our attempts to respond to and engage with conflict have environmental impact. Any intervention – mediation, peacebuilding activities, training, workshops, and so forth – can be performed in different ways, some of which are inherently more environmentally adverse than others.

In a new article, entitled …

Identity Can Be Lethal, Dr. Janice McRae 

Identity can be lethal.  It is a curious component of how we define our humanness.  In…

A recent Harvard Law Case Study features a scenario that will resonate with university ADR experts and practitioners.  In the case study, a University Ombuds is involved in an effort to update a sexual harassment policy.  Here's the summary:

Langdell University, in the state of Ames, is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the country. Since the late 1970’s Langdell University has had a single sexual harassment procedure for all of its undergraduate,…

In this session, you will have the chance to learn more about Creighton's Online Master's Degree and Graduate Level Certificate in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution from faculty member Bryan Hanson and answer any questions that you may have about this degree program.

The Negotiation and Dispute Resolution program is offered through the prestigious Werner Institute for Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at Creighton University. Our degree is one-of-a-kind and recognized as a…

Sometimes we get into a cranky mood for no apparent reason.  Other times we get there because we have onerous things on our minds or we feel hurt by someone’s actions or words. Other times, obligations cause us stress and weigh us down. These and other types of happenings that occur in our daily lives will contribute to a state of mind and heart that can negatively affect us and those around us. In these sorts of moods, we may be more apt to pick fights or be more vulnerable and sensitive to…

In my latest blog entry, I list my favorite videos available online about transformative mediation. Follow this link to my latest blog entry.

Cinnie Noble- Welcome to this month's virtual book club! Over the month, my co-facilitator Tammy Lenski and I will be posting questions about the book and topic of conflict management coaching and we invite you to post your own…

JAMS Foundation Awards More than $120,000 in Grants

June 12, 2012

Irvine, Calif. – The nonprofit JAMS Foundation announced that it approved five new grants to organizations using innovative ways to promote and advance conflict prevention and dispute resolution. The foundation will distribute the money in the form of three Foundation Grants, which provide financial support up to $50,000 for ADR initiatives with national impact, and two Opportunity…

Episode #32

Success as a Mediator With Victoria Pynchon

Join host Jeff Thompson and mediator and author, Victoria Pynchon (Check out …

Lots of things happen during the course of a dispute that may raise an internal groan in us. It may be because we say something we immediately regret; we hear a truth we hate to face; we observe a look or attitude that is off-putting; we hear the other person’s perspective that is antithetical to our intent or that is hurtful, offensive and so on.

Whether we groan internally or externally it is helpful to listen to the sound of our groans and consider from where they are coming and…

Retired Federal Court Judge Hon. Theodore H. Katz (Ret.) Joins JAMS

June 6, 2012

New York – JAMS, the largest private provider of mediation and arbitration services worldwide, today announced the addition of Hon. Theodore H. Katz (Ret.) to its panel. Judge Katz will be based in the JAMS New York Resolution Center. He will serve as an arbitrator, mediator and special master in a variety of disputes including Business/Commercial, Class Action/Mass…

Is ADR a field? Many of us may take the answer to this question for granted. But are we mediation-centric as we go through life? And what about ADR being “in the shadow of the law”? During the Keystone Conference in October 2010 the question of whether or not ADR is a field was discussed – first in form of a question and then in the form of two different answers. I thought those were good pointers for self-reflection…

First, Carrie Menkel-Meadow asks "Are We a…