Many may have heard that the Treasury Dep’t and IRS announced today (8/29/13) that same-sex couples who are legally married are “married” for federal income tax purposes, even if they live in a state that doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage.  Divorce mediators may want to consider a consequence of that, which is raised in this NY Times article, pointed out by Eli Uncyk, a New York City mediator:…

As you know, last week’s ConflictMastery™ Quest(ions) blog was entitled “Apologizing” and specifically what constitutes an effective apology. This week’s blog asks more and different questions about making apologies. Doing so can be challenging for some of us – depending on the circumstance - as we do not always know if they will be received well and if the other person is ready and willing…

The negotiation and dispute resolution field pictures itself as having so much to contribute to improving human interactions – relationships, transactions and engaging with conflict.

However – let’s face it:

99% of the population of the planet (a gross under-estimation!) have never taken, and will never take, a negotiation course. They will never buy a negotiation book (and even I buy negotiation books which sit on the shelf unread). They will never read my blog or my Facebook…

National Crime Prevention Council has developed several initiatives to educate children and adults to help them be safe from crime. The McGruff Club curriculum for children ages six to ten…

The "What's Happening?" Blog is a weekly round up of the all the ADR news, jobs, events and more.  Check it out each week and view past news [HERE]

A…

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

in the month of  September, held every Tuesday night from 7:00-7:30 pm CST/8:00-8:30 pm EST.…

Effective Mediators & Nonverbal Communication

Guest writer Jeff Thompson is presenting at the 2013 ACR Annual Conference

What really makes a mediator effective?  Are the skills you use as a…

In this 24th Episode of the Conflict Specialists Show, Dave Hilton interviews Karl Bayer about his Mediation, Arbitration and Special Master work over the last 25 years.

Some of the topics in today’s episode:

• Karl's First Mediation Experience - Despite No Training!
• Intellectual Property, Technology and Environmental Cases
• Curbing…

I am an evangelist for the ADR profession. My mission is to use the resources of the Association for Conflict Resolution to develop more career opportunities for ADR students as the next generation of ADR specialists.  A mentorship program between ADR students and leaders in the field of conflict resolution is in development via the Association for Conflict Resolution.                                      

The need is to…

Imagine a world in which important, top-level policy decisions, such as those regarding nuclear power, higher education or foreign relations were made on the basis of real discussion focused on real facts. In these conversations, hype would be washed away, moderate majorities would probably find more voice, and (hopefully) better decisions would be made – with less residual acrimony and polarization.

John Lennon’s “Imagine” material? I don’t think so.…

In my latest blog entry, available here, I describe a co-mediation I did with a co-mediator who was accustomed to leading the parties down a problem-solving path.  This particular co-mediator was open to sitting back and watching what happened when I simply supported the conversation.

It often happens after an interpersonal dispute that one or both people apologize for something said or done that upset the other person. We may realize our actions were not warranted or that we said something that hurt the other person. We may have shared long-held sentiments that had remained unspoken and then, observe the negative consequences of doing so. We may have acted out of malice and on reflection, admit what we said or did was mean-spirited. The list goes on and any number of…

How can we use words and voice as tools for a more peaceful world? Laurie Schloff, communication coach, author of Smart Speaking, a book called "the best book ever written about speaking" will discuss the top five techniques for communicating in a peaceful,…

The "What's Happening?" Blog is a weekly round up of the all the ADR news, jobs, events and more.  Check it out each week and view past news [HERE]…

Stories Mediators Tell

Guest writer Glen Parker is presenting at the 2013 ACR Annual Conference

Story telling is the glue that holds a community together. It is also how we express…

youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUVmPVKaJzk

Folks, here's my (illustrated!) TEDx Talk  on Mindfulness in the Midst of Conflict at…

In this special 23rd Episode of the Conflict Specialists Show, Dave Hilton spotlights the Association of Attorney-Mediators and talks to past AAM national president- Trey Bergman.

Some of the topics in today’s episode:

• History, Mission and Goals of the Association of Attorney-Mediators
  
  
• AAM Educational and Professional Requirements for…

All--

There was an article on the NY Times first page today (Sun, 8/18/13) about the US's failed efforts to have a good effect on the turmoil in Egypt.  THIS POST TAKES NO POSITION on what any Egyptians are doing, nor on what US policy should be about events in Egypt.  The Times article is here (sign-in may be required; free with subscription or if you have had few views so far this month):…

After a conflict is over, it helps to ‘take stock’ of what happened and to learn from the experience. One of the definitions of this idiom – ‘to take stock’ – relevant to a conflict situation is “to think carefully about a situation or event and form an opinion about it, so that you can decide what to do”. Another pertinent …