What's Happening in Conflict Resolution [12.01.15]

2016 Annual Conference Call for Proposals - Deadline Approaching

Principles into Practice, the theme for the 2016 conference reflects a re-commitment by conflict resolution practitioner and the Association for Conflict Resolution to the practical application of our principles as we carry out our respective processes. This means understanding the foundational theories, enhancing our application through skill building and adhering to the appropriate standards of conduct and best practice. The goal of the 2016 Annual Conference is to provide each attendee high quality sessions that focus on theory, application, ethics and best practices, no matter their experience level.

We challenge you to think creatively. Consider how a session you would propose might advance the thinking in one or more of the following areas...

Read more [HERE].

An Innovative Method for Teaching Negotiation at Harvard. Could It ...

Giuseppe Leone- Dr. Joshua N. Weiss is a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Negotiation Project and the co-founder of the Global Negotiation Initiative at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School - http://goo.gl/P0yYEh

On November 6, 2015 he posted an interesting article titled "On Its Head: Teaching Negotiation in a Flipped Classroom" http://goo.gl/nSFUmS

Many mediators (I am one of them) believe that in some cases mediation can indeed be considered an “assisted negotiation”. In addition, I’m currently working on an Online Peer Mediation project, and one of its four goals is to teach peer mediation skills online to high-school students across the USA - http://goo.gl/gK45Vd

Read more [HERE].

Giving People Advice Rarely Works. This Does.

Thomas G. Plante Ph.D., ABPP (Via PsychologyToday.com) People to tell you how to live your life, don’t they? There is no shortage of family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, businesses, and of course, magazines and websites offering plenty of guidance about what you should or shouldn't do. Others want to tell you what or how you should (or shouldn’t) eat, drink, shop, vote, believe in (or not believe in), dress, exercise—you name it. But while everyone thinks that telling others what they should do will work, very few actually rely on the proven, research-based strategies that actually do typically result in behavior change.

Think about it for a moment: Has there ever been a conversation between a Democrat and a Republican, between a believer and a non-believer, between a meat-eater and a vegetarian, between a Fox News viewer and a MSNBC viewer, or between a Yankee fan and a Red Sox fan that ended with one saying, “You know what? You’re right! I’ll change right away!”

And honestly, while people encourage you to change your ways to accommodate their suggestions what are you privately thinking? Probably something like “Mind your own business!” or "Why don’t you leave me alone?” You might politely listen but privately most of us resent being told what to do and how to do it.

In a nutshell: Advice giving usually doesn't work, and often completely backfires.

So what does work? Check out the rest of the article from PsychologyToday.com [HERE].

Encourage Young Aspiring Family Mediators to Enter the Field: Their...

Michael Aurit (Via Mediate.com)- Has a young aspiring mediator ever approached you—as someone they look up to as an experienced professional—and asked, "I want to become a mediator. Can you give me some advice? Do you think I can ‘make it’ as a mediator?"

Your answer, and possibly, your obligation, is to affirmatively reply: "Yes, you can." It would be entirely unhelpful to would-be mediators, the family mediation profession as a whole, and, in the long run, your own practice to respond in various ways that I experienced when beginning my journey to become a full-time divorce and family mediator:

"[Frown-face, head shake] It is really tough to make a living as a mediator. Let's put it this way, I wouldn't quit your day job! [stuffy laughter]."

Or, one of my favorites, and a frequent response:

"[Shoulder shrug] Get experience litigating cases and that might help. Most mediators have practiced law for years or are retired judges."

I was always so glad I asked.

Read more [HERE].

Photo courtesy of The New York Times/Adam Dean

Following Truce Accord, Process Is Unlikely to Advance Before New Government Arrives

Priscilla Clapp (USIP The Olive Branch Blog)- When Myanmar’s National League for Democracy leads a new government into office in coming months, it will inherit a peace process in which the outgoing government last month signed a cease-fire with eight of the 17 ethnic armed groups that have been part of the country’s 60-plus years of civil warfare. The October cease-fire was a limited advance in peacemaking that may bring greater stability to the Thai border area. But as mediators work to consolidate and broaden that cease-fire accord, they face uncertainties from the political transition—and more fundamentally, from the apparent determination of the national armed forces to fight minority ethnic groups for control of the rich economic resources in the northern state of Kachin.

Read more [HERE].