The end of the semester is drawing near in my online employment mediation dispute class. The theme of the last discussion board is reflective: what three things has each student learned from or skills developed or improved upon in this course. There is a saying to the effect that as [Read More]
In 1998, President Bill Clinton was impeached but not convicted based on statements he made regarding his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. In an interview with Jim Lehrer on “NewsHour”, the following exchange occurred: Jim Lehrer: “No improper relationship”—define what you mean by that. President Bill Clinton: “Well, I think you [Read More]
Previously, I have posted blogs about the implicit biases of doctors in treating patients. A recent article in the Science and Technology section of The Economist entitled “Fatal Truths” (April 10, 2021) at p.71-72 notes that this implicit bias also exists in medical devices and treatments. As we are all [Read More]
One of the most important things a mediator must do- if not the most important- is to build trust and rapport with the parties. In pre-Covid days, this was a bit easier; the mediator could sit face to face with each party and schmooze. Now, we are reduced to being [Read More]
One of the courses I am teaching is Employment Dispute Mediation in which I am essentially teaching the students how to mediate. We are at the point of discussing persuasive techniques and bargaining tactics. One of them intrigued me because although I have used it, I did not realize [Read More]
No doubt, you have encountered the situation where you are addressing a group of people and ask a question and are met with silence… absolute quiet! It feels awkward… no one is answering your question.(Indeed, Anglophones can not tolerate more than four seconds of silence while the Japanese can tolerate [Read More]
One value in being a mediator is learning how to think outside the box: to brainstorm. I learned long ago that any problem usually has more than one resolution. So… this is all about Buddy – part 2. Needless to say, Buddy took awhile to recover from the anti-anxiety medicine [Read More]
One adage that I learned early on in my career is that disputes usually arise due either to a lack of communication or to a miscommunication. My own personal experience provides yet another example. I have two English Springer Spaniels: Buddy and Cookie. Buddy is an aggressive male while Cookie [Read More]
