Conflict Management

The Subtle Art of Impartiality: Lessons from Conversation Analysis

Recently, we had the privilege of hosting Professor Elizabeth Stokoe for a webinar on her research into how intake staff at UK mediation centres communicate with callers seeking information. As a psychologist specializing in conversation analysis, Professor Stokoe examines real interactions rather than those happening in artificial experimental settings. Her work provides valuable insights for […]

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Exploring the Diversity of Mediation

When someone says they’re a mediator, what image comes to mind? Probably someone who helps people in conflict work through their differences, right? Simple enough. But here’s the thing—mediators are not all the same. In fact, the mediation field is incredibly diverse, even though most practitioners don’t describe themselves beyond the generic label of “mediator.” There are many different

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Embracing Inclusivity in Mediation – A Pathway to Justice for Neurodivergent Individuals

* Thanks to Rebekka Kornmehl, Danielle Hutchinson, and Carol Bowen for their helpful feedback on this content. People in the conflict resolution field typically think of mediation as a client-centered, informal, and flexible approach to managing conflict.  However, as highlighted by participants in the Symposium for Access to Justice for Autistic People in ADR in

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When the Boss Is Exhibiting Challenging Behaviours

I recently had an interesting conversation with someone who started out by describing their boss as a “narcissistic personality” and who was looking for some advice about how to get them to change their behaviours towards staff. Work with behaviours, not labels The first step is to emphasize the importance of avoiding labelling the boss

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Perspective taking in conflict

Anyone who works with people in conflict understands the transformative power of perspective taking in resolving conflicts.  In fact, a large part of the work of mediators and conflict management coaches involves supporting clients to see things from different perspectives. Perspective taking often results in: More information being disclosed Increased capacity to communicate in a

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