I’ve been asked a few times lately about the benefits of face-to-face versus online work with clients, and also whether it’s better to require clients to have their video cameras turned on when working online. Most people instinctively seem to prefer working with clients in person, and if working online, prefer everyone to have their […]
CRITICAL REFLECTION: Is face-to-face better than online? Read More »
Working with people in conflict, whether as a conflict management coach or a mediator, is a complex and uncertain activity. While practitioners usually follow some kind of process in their work, what they do within those processes involves a great deal of flexibility and choice. There is rarely one “right” choice for whether or how
Intuition as a conflict practitioner Read More »
I recently ran a REAL Masterclass exploring the concept of High Conflict Personalities (HCPs). Many of the participants were looking for some quick fixes and easy tools to use when they came across HCPs in their practice. What they instead discovered was that this desire for a simple solution is in fact one of the
CRITICAL REFLECTION: High Conflict Personalities Read More »
“At a time when generational conflict – from work attitudes to cancel culture to “OK, Boomer” – is at a level not seen since the 1960s, separating the myths from the reality of generations is more important than ever.” Jean Twenge This book is absolutely fascinating. Twenge has collated data across many generations and then
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: Generations by Jean M. Twenge Read More »
What is trust? The word trust can be used as a noun (something you have) or a verb (something you do). As a noun, trust can be defined as “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength or truth of someone or something” (Merriam-Webster) As a verb, trust can be defined as a belief that “someone
Trust between practitioner and client Read More »
What are generations? Generations are groupings of people based on their date of birth into time periods of about 15 years. The five most recent generations are: The Silents / Traditionalists (born between around 1925-1945); The Baby Boomers (born between around 1946-1964); Generation X (born between around 1965-1979); Millennials / Gen Y (born between around
Intergenerational Conflict Read More »
Goal setting is a standard first step in most coaching models. However, goal setting is not always easy or even useful! In this article I will explore some of the potential downsides of goal setting and consider some possible alternatives. “Knowing how and when to set goals in coaching, knowing how to gauge the client’s readiness to
CRITICAL REFLECTION: Goal Setting Read More »
Many of the challenges that arise when neurodiverse and neurotypical people are involved in conflict are due to each person’s different way of experiencing, expressing and regulating emotions, and also the neurotypical assumptions on which many of our conflict resolution processes are based. With greater understanding and flexible approaches in the way we support diverse people
Neurodiversity, emotions and conflict Read More »
In our Conflict Leadership Program last month, we discussed various challenges in our practice as mediators, conflict management coaches, and conflict management consultants. While there were a number of themes (including working with clients exhibiting challenging behaviours and managing strong emotions), surprisingly, the most commonly mentioned challenges were the limitations that are imposed by the systems
Challenges in our practice – hearing from the practitioners Read More »
The Australian National Mediation Accreditation System Practice Standards refer to power in a number of parts: “A mediator must have knowledge [about] the dynamics of power and violence.” (Clause 10.1(a)(i)) “A mediator must be alert to changing balances of power in mediation and manage the mediation accordingly”. (Clause 6.1) “A mediator must have the ability
CRITICAL REFLECTION: Power balancing Read More »