President Obama Orders Full Review of Hostage Negotiation Policy

President Obama has ordered a comprehensive review of policy dictating how the U.S. government tries to secure the freedom of Americans held hostage by terrorists abroad, a senior Pentagon official revealed in a recent letter to a member of Congress.

“As a result of the increased frequency of hostage-taking of Americans overseas, and the recognition of the dynamic threat posed by specific terrorist groups, the President recently directed a comprehensive review of the U.S. Government policy on overseas terrorist-related hostage cases, with specific emphasis on examining family engagement, intelligence collection, and diplomatic engagement policies,”...

Read more from ABC News [HERE]. 

7 Psychological Strategies for Mastering Sales Negotiations

This kind of thinking can mean the negotiation is lost before the salesperson has even started to prepare for it. The first war to be won is the battle inside the salesperson against defeatist thoughts. By becoming clear on desired outcomes, he or she has the greatest chance at negotiation success and making a sale.

1. Eliminate anxiety.

The brain loves options. A salesperson should always have more than one significant opportunity in the pipeline. This leads to increased confidence and less anxiety when negotiating...

2. Score a small yes or two.

Read more from entrepreneur.com [HERE].

NAFCM Executive Director (Independent Contractor)

The National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM) is seeking an independent contractor to lead NAFCM as Executive Director. 

In communities around the globe, community mediation programs and volunteers share their expertise to help others constructively engage, transform, & resolve conflict. NAFCM supports these peacemakers by aggregating their wisdom, amplifying their voice, and advancing their critical work.  The Executive Director will be ambitious; energetic; tech-savvy; thrive on virtual collaboration and communication; and have a track record of success in meeting ambitious goals, developing durable partnerships, increasing capacity, and building sustainability.

Read more [HERE].

Job: ACR Exec. Director

The Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) is seeking a dynamic and creative Executive Director to lead and enhance the organization. ACR is a non-profit membership association committed to educational activities that promote peaceful, effective conflict resolution, both nationally and internationally

Stop the Pain At Work Campaign

Joyce Odidison

Portraying Peace in the Media: Making Peace Sexy and Creating Peace...

Patricia M Porter

In the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation's latest blog post, 5 reasons are suggested for why it's so hard for mediators to live up to the ideal of party self-determination.  You can read it here.