Leadership Section
Leadership Articles
Mediator Engagement in Politics – and other things we care about
In his thought-provoking new book, Politics, Dialogue and the Evolution of Democracy the legendary Ken Cloke reflects on an exchange between two distinguished American authors, Lawrence Susskind and Bernie Mayer, reflected upon here.
Dishonesty
I’d wager we’ve all had a friend or family member share one of their new creations with us (maybe a poem, or an article, or a intending-to-be-funny youtube video) and ask, excitedly, “What do you think?”
Heartbroken in Pittsburgh
I thought that teaching the Kavanaugh hearings in a careful and respectful manner a few weeks ago would be the biggest teaching challenge of the semester. I was wrong.
Satisfying Our Clients’ Emotional Due Process Needs
Emotional due process. What is that, exactly?
Bringing Down a Giraffe
Each of the described four impulses gives rise to tensions in negotiation: the need to compete and claim, the impulse to cooperate and find common ground, the drive for pragmatic and technically competent solutions, and the push for a moral basis in solution-making.
Empathy
I travel all the time for my job--and part of the traveling experience is vulnerability.
Jim Melamed Selected For First APFM Outstanding Mediator Award
After a nominations process open to all Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM) members, Jim Melamed, Mediate.com CEO, was selected to receive APFM's first "Outstanding Professional Family Mediator Award." The award was presented to Jim at the recent 2018 APFM Conference in San Diego.
Weapons and Sports Agents
Life imitates art, art imitates life, and both reveal deeper patterns.
Like the Fireflies Generating Light
It is currently common to use expressions such as "polarization" or "crack" to describe the attitudes with which the inhabitants, politicians and governments in different countries raise or debate their problems.
Family Mediation and Domestic Abuse
Mediation in Worcester, Gloucester and the surrounding areas is increasingly the default option when it comes to family dispute resolution.
Power, Impartiality, and Timing: Third Party Mediation in the Middle East
There has been upsurge literature on third party intervention in recent years, and still a significant gap in the field of mediation.
Building Coalitions and Story Telling
In order to be more effective in mediation, the story of the case must be told just like the unfolding of a movie or book. Like any story, there is a common structure that has a beginning, middle and end and is broken down into three acts.
Mediation vs. Arbitration
This article directs the special advantages of mediation for resolving disputes. It outlines the specific procedure for mediation that optimizes these advantages over arbitration.
Justice
As a non-lawyer who teaches in law schools, I have been brought into the “justice” conversation many times. I am asked: How can you be sure your online systems will deliver justice?
Stop Giving Others Insult Power
Do you know people who get upset and insulted easily?
How Avoidance Can Help You with Workplace Conflict
It sounds counter intuitive, but Inaction or avoidance can be a viable way of dealing with workplace conflict.
Dissing of Civil Discourse pt. 3
Interestingly, since beginning of this series of posts several months back, the topic of seeking greater respect and civility in our political and social interactions has ratcheted up significantly, even becoming mainstream!
The Exceptional Power of Vision
There are many keys to reaching possible agreement. The list includes, among others, discovering not incompatible interests, soothing a hurt relationship, or finding a common enemy. Uncovering a transcending vision can accelerate and amplify the coming together of contending parties. Vision helps achieve agreement.
Reframing
One of the core skills in the mediator’s tool box is a technique called reframing. Put simply, reframing helps people see something from a different perspective.
12 Tips for Mediating Complex Business and Government Disputes
This article discusses 12 tips for hiring the right mediator for the right situation.
Establishing Rapport in Mediation
Establishing rapport seems like a nice thing to do, right? I don’t think so.
Leaving Facebook
I was a fan of Facebook from my first login. I registered right after it opened to the public in 2006, and I led most of my friends onto the platform. I am now choosing to leave Facebook.
Lessons from the Iroquois
In our mediation efforts, once we are in the realm of “public policy,” we are inevitably poking our noses into questions of intergenerational equity and “governance” and how authentic collaboration can be achieved or improved.
The Faultlines of the Current Ideological Divide - Part 1
This article discusses the ideological divide looking at conflict from both a mediator's (Part 1) and a therapist's perspective (Part 2).
In Isolation Together
Ok, we’ve got a problem: Britain has announced a new Minister of Loneliness.