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Happy Conflict Resolution Day
Today is Conflict Resolution Day, an international celebration of conflict resolution. In honor thereof, allow me to point to Victoria Pynchon's post yesterday on her Settle It Now Negotiation Blog entitled Ten Settlement Conference/Mediation Traps for the Unwary. Pynchon became a mediator after 25 years as a trial lawyer, and in this post she shows that she understands the process from the vantage points of both the advocates and the neutral. Her 10 traps:
- Leaving stakeholders at home.
- Leaving too soon.
- Failing to take clues from the mediator/settlement conference judge.
- Failing to strategically use joint and separate caucuses.
- Letting the judge or mediator act the bully.
- Believing that any competent judge or mediator can help you achieve the best settlement.
- Sidelining your client on the day of mediation.
- Failing to use the mediator to help you bring reality to your client.
- Failing to maximize the mediator's strategic skills.
- Negotiating in the nano- and strato-spheres.
She explains each of these traps in greater detail. Reading them, I realized she could have easily have titled this post, "10 Tips for Success in Mediation."
In any event, happy Conflict Resolution Day!
Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on October 18, 2007 at 03:36 PM | Permalink
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