The International Ombudsman Association will offer several training opportunities for and about Organizational Ombuds the week of October 20-24, 2014. The programs include introductory, intermediate and advanced topics.…

To celebrate the annual Conflict Resolution Day, the GSU Office of the Ombudsperson has opened a contest for stories and poems about peacemaking.  Entries in any medium will be accepted and may be selected for publication in an eZine.  Kelley Alexander, the Student/Staff Ombudsperson, Valerie I.…

IOA conference planners are accepting presentation proposals, and speaker and topic suggestions for the tenth annual meeting.  The conference is set for April 19-22, 2015 at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel. IOA's attendees are diverse -- they come from various sectors and countries and have varying levels of experience. Individuals representing universities, companies, not for profit agencies or sole practitioners…

In a recent blog I spoke about the olive branch as a symbol of peace. Another symbol of peace we often think of is the white flag.

According to Wikipedia: “The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and request for negotiation. It…

 

The book is an easy 1.5 hours read and is FREE downloadable for the coming 4 days via this link: …

Zeitouna is Arabic for "olive tree" or "olive". In the sumer of 2002, a…

First, please let me confess that the title of this post was not my creative idea.  I read it in a book called The Conflict Pivot – Turning Conflict into Peace of Mind by Tammy Lenski.

The book really made sense to…

People regularly talk about the role of language in military and political contention – especially with respect to the Israel Palestine conflict. Language plays a role in war and military conflicts. The problem is language can either enlighten or enclose. I address this a little bit more in the posting below but what do people think of language in Israel Palestine conflict? What have you noticed that either opens up for constrains our understanding.

Don…

It turns out transformative mediation is the most effective approach when lawyers are involved.  It allows for the bad news about the other side's commitment to their perspective to be communicated directly and clearly; and it allows for the good news that the other side isn't pure evil to be communicated; and it allows for the highest quality conversation possible about both the heart of the dispute and the possibilities for improvement.  …

I love my job for a myriad of reasons, but one reason is that it always gives me inspiration for this blog!

Sure enough, this morning, it happened again.

I had a client come in who is young, ambitious, and passionate about his future career in education. Problem is, he’s gotten the run-around from his University regarding which classes to take and which he can skip. To boot, he has “philosophical” differences with many of the teaching methods he’s…

As more and more teachers in the area of negotiation and dispute resolution consider taking their courses (or, parts of them) online, I’ve received many queries of the “How do you get started?” variety. And, I’m not the only one fielding these questions. I'd like to share a resource, addressing these questions.

Together with co –presenters and –authors Jennifer Parlamis (University of San Francisco), Roy Lewicki (Ohio State University) and…

When we are in an interpersonal conflict we may find ourselves reacting when the other person tries to have or succeeds at getting the last word. Or, we may be the one who is trying or succeeds in doing so. According to one source, the definition of the phrase the last word includes: “the last thing said in an argument”; “information that everyone considers to be the best”;…

Conflict is inevitable in life. Our responses to it are affected by both our human nature and our cultural backgrounds. Cultural differences can be the cause of conflict and can complicate our efforts to resolve it. In this program, we will explore ways of addressing conflicts involving people from different cultures.

Craig Runde is the Director of the…

Tips for Lawyers When Working with a Mediator

In his column in the latest issue of …

The first time I heard this story, I hadn’t taken mediation training yet. Now I can appreciate it sooo much more. Please hang in there with me … it’s worth it.It’s September 1978 and President Jimmy Carter is working hard at Camp David to keep all of the parties at the table for the Middle East Peace Talks. You can imagine how tricky that was … with more stumbling blocks than…