Conflict, by its nature, includes two competing ideas, versions of events, or wished-for outcomes. With conflict often comes the desire to win—to get my ideal at the expense of the other. As any good mediator will tell you, in order to resolve conflict this kind of zero-sum/either-or thinking has to be replaced with another way.

Managing Conflict in the Workplace

recently read an article about a survey conducted by an international consulting firm that concluded 85% of workers had experienced conflict on the job. My immediate response was that the other 15% were either in denial or had just been hired. I say this because if you are human, you will experience conflict. There is no getting around it.

Reflecting at APFM

I just returned from presenting "Mediation Mastery" at the Academy for Professional Family Mediators international conference in Denver, Colorado. The focus of the presentation was the importance of reflective practice--taking time while mediating and especially after to consider the positive and potentially negative impact of our presence and interventions for our clients.

Maintaining Two Levels of Awareness

As an excellent conflict responder (mediator, human resource professional, mental health counselor, attorney, etc.), you are always operating on two levels of awareness. You are aware of what is happening in your environment and you are aware of what is happening inside yourself.

Office Set-Up: Setting the Stage for Conflict Resolution

When thinking about resolving conflict, it is important to take into consideration the physical space. Subtle things like furniture arrangement and the color of walls can impact on the successful outcome of a conflict situation.

Becoming a Mediator

As a trainer, particularly of family and divorce mediators, I often receive calls from people who want to become a mediator. What does it take to become a mediator, they ask? That depends... While I would like to give folks a straightforward answer, there is no one path to becoming a mediator.

What should I charge?

I've heard it more than once from fellow mediators, “I feel bad asking for money.”Some of my colleagues even want to give away their services for free. There is nothing wrong with considering the financial circumstances of a client, or even offering pro bono services to those in need, what I believe is wrong is feeling guilty for asking for payment for a valuable service.