An important tool in any mediator’s toolbox is knowledge of cultural diversity. Early on in any training session, this topic is explored and discussed. What do I mean by “culture”? As explained by Ellen Waldman in her book Mediation Ethics (Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2011): UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and [Read More]
An unknown author on the Harvard Negotiation PON Blog staff posted a blog on April 9, 2020 entitled “How Mood Affects Negotiators” which discusses “What …social psychologists [are] learning about the connections among emotions, negotiators and decision making.” (Id.) The blog post notes that researcher Jennifer S. Lerner of the [Read More]
I just finished reading a book entitled, Start With Why? By Simon Sinek (Penguin Group, New York, 2009) which posits a simple thesis on why some organizations are very successful and others are not. It all depends on whether they have maintained or lost their “why”- their vision, their cause, [Read More]
As a mediator, I must be careful with the words I use during a mediation. In fact, I need to be careful with my words all of the time. I was reminded of this admonition by an article in The New York Times on March 3, 2020 entitled, “How To [Read More]
We are all facing a “new normal.” Most of us- over 75%- are working remotely from home trying to adapt very quickly and competently to this “new normal”. We are attempting to keep the same sense of structure and processes that we used in an office setting without much luck. [Read More]
I guess I am doing what everyone else is doing these days; looking at the news through the lens of my training, expertise and experience. Thus, I am watching the issue of politics/economy vs. medicine play out as a dispute ripe for mediation. On one side is the plaintiff whom [Read More]
Being involved in a lawsuit or even just in a dispute can be stressful, worrisome if not anxiety ridden. Believe it or not, being the mediator trying to help the parties resolve their dispute can also be stressful, worrisome, and anxiety producing. The mediator never really knows what is going [Read More]
Readers of my blog probably realize by now that one of my favorite topics is cognitive biases which “…refer to a range of systematic errors in human decision- making from the tendency to use mental shortcuts. “( “How Common Mental Shortcuts Can Cause Major Physician Errors” by Anupam B. Jena [Read More]
