Good mediators know how to start a mediation in the best way for the particular people in the room with them at that very moment. They do not always start a mediation the same way from habit or because someone taught them to do it one way 10 years ago. No. Getting from here to there isn’t about mechanics, about the list of things you must be sure to cover, or about any paperwork you need them to sign. You must know those mechanical things, but they will not bridge the divide for you, so … [Read more...]
Making mediation your day job
These are ADR and mediation career, business, and marketing articles, all extending the work I first set out in my book, Making Mediation Your Day Job.
The relevance of professional conflict resolvers in people’s lives
The New England Association for Conflict Resolution has asked me to lead a conversation with attendees at the April annual dinner. We'll be discussing the relevance of professional and volunteer conflict resolvers in people's lives and how we do (and don't) address that relevance in the ways we talk about our work, our services, our value. If you're in New England, I hope you'll plan to attend and be part of this important conversation. We're planning a robust, mind-stretching, and … [Read more...]
My favorite tips for mediators
Some, but not all, of my conflict resolution work is mediation, the act of helping others negotiate a solution to their conflict without having a stake in the outcome. I count among my other hats conflict management consulting, coaching, training and education. Mediation was my "first love" in the conflict resolution field 15 years ago and over the years I've written many posts and articles on the subject, not to mention my book, Making Mediation Your Day Job. It seems only right that I … [Read more...]
Terrific new book for conflict management coaches
Most of us who've included conflict management coaching in our mix of services for many years didn't have the good fortune new conflict management coaches now have: A terrific book on the subject. My story is typical: I started as a mediator, consultant, and conflict resolution educator. Where I first taught conflict resolution at the grad level we used a coaching approach to help new mediators master their craft. When I prepared my clients for mediations during intake, I naturally included … [Read more...]
Friday fun: How far has the mediation field come?
Last year I addressed the Utah Council on Conflict Resolution by live video stream from my office in New Hampshire. While cleaning out some files I recently came across this 3-minute excerpt from the very beginning of my speech and thought you might get a chuckle. [Can't see the video embedded in this post? Click here to view it online.] … [Read more...]
Finding a good mediator: Avoid the square peg/round hole problem
Consider this mediation story reported by the Associated Press about a decade ago: Northampton, Mass. - The city's attempt at mediating complaints by merchants about ice cream loving motorcyclists gathering outside a Main Street shop had mixed results. About 40 bikers and 10 merchants, including the owner's of Bart's Homemade, sat in a circle and held hands as a mediation firm hired by the city opened the more than two-hour session Tuesday. They came to no resolution. ..."Let them go ahead … [Read more...]
Mediation for new beginnings in workplace and personal relationships
In court cases, settlement agreements reached through mediation signal the end of the litigation. But in conflict between people who must or want to be in continued relationship – co-workers, business partners, management teams, couples – a mediation and mediated agreements are the beginning...the first step toward a future filled with new possibility. Here's how I describe this form of mediation: Instead of using mediation to end the relationship or the disagreement, you'll be … [Read more...]
Expanded-pie thinking for your mediation business
Imagine this: Michael loves pie, particularly apple pie. He loves it so much he decides to take a course in apple pie making. He locates a master baker and teacher and she teaches him how to make a truly fabulous apple pie. She's precise in what she teaches: He needs specific ingredients and he needs to apply them in a certain sequence to bake pie the best. Michael's completely smitten and decides to open an apple pie shop. He knows that if people taste what he tastes in his pies, they … [Read more...]
The single most important mediation marketing tool
What's the single most effective tool a mediator can use to market? An audience member asked me this when I keynoted the annual conference of the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators back in November. The good news in my answer is that seasoned and well-trained mediators already have this tool and know how to use it well. And even more good news: Use this tool frequently and it will change your mediation marketing for the better. It will change your mediation marketing because when … [Read more...]
Your mediation competition: It isn’t who you think it is
Your biggest mediation competition isn’t who you think it is. It’s not the mediator down the street who’s been in business for a decade and whose name is synonymous with mediation in your region. It isn’t the legal firm one building over. It isn’t the newly minted mediator across town who’s known well from a prior career. And it isn’t the ADR star from out of town, called in on his white horse for high profile cases that make the news. Long the traditional task of good business … [Read more...]
