Communication is the key to achieving a lot in the world, so when communication does not come as easy, it can be not easy to move forward in a career or effectively negotiate for something that you want. This is where the skills and work of a communication coach may come in. Communication coaches are …
While the rights of gay and lesbian couples to marry were expanded by the Supreme Court in 2015, there are still many issues when it comes to same-sex custody cases. Cases, where the parents of a child are of the same gender, can have a variety of unique issues that the Courts will have to …
When couples are getting divorced, they may wonder what a settlement agreement is for a divorce. If their only exposure to divorce is the long court battles that include lawyers yelling at each other and parties that refuse to speak after, they may not know that there is another way to achieve the goal of …
For couples that are going through a divorce, one of the most challenging aspects of the process is agreeing on the custody arrangement for the kids. Often, custody determinations are based on the best interest of the children. A child custody case can often involve strong convictions and emotions, so the guidance and expertise of …
Mediation has been on the ascent in resolving disputes short of trial over the past decade. In this COVID age of closed trial courts and uncertain trial dates, mediation provides an opportunity to obtain a fair resolution in a timely manner.
Our brains are mostly divided into two hemispheres. They each have their own way of responding to conflicts, although there is some overlap. Our brains are really a combination of parts that serve different purposes. They take turns in dominating our thinking at times and generally work together – just as we have many muscles in our arms that work together rather than just one muscle.
Mediation briefs should be shared well before the mediation session: to save time in session; to give each side the full force of the other’s positions; to give each side time to carefully consider the other’s positions and calmly prepare a response; to begin establishing the settlement ballpark. Let’s consider the alternatives, their bases, and their effects.
If you are a conflict resolution professional, you are very likely to meet with angry, confrontational, and aggressive people on an almost daily basis. You may even be called in specifically to deal with them, if you are an HR professional or an ombuds. It’s almost inevitable. People in conflict are almost always emotional. Even business disputes aren’t “just business.” Our emotions affect every decision we make.
One reason I started this site was because there didn’t seem to be all that many blogs on mediation, so I thought I might be able to contribute to the discussion. Since I started, some have dropped out, and new sites have cropped up. Here is a list of some sites that have mostly been around longer than I have, and that I tend to turn to most often.
Asking questions is one of the most powerful – and often misused – tools for professionals in dispute resolution settings, whether legal, workplace, mediation or anywhere. When you are dealing with high-conflict clients, it is especially important to consider the timing of different types of questions and also to know what questions you should never ask.