Dispute resolution seems top of mind lately. Twice during the week of May 9, 2016, I participated in interviews on CBC Radio about how conflicts come to be and solutions for bring them to a successful end.
The first interview, on Information Morning , focused on the continuing strike at the Chronicle Herald that’s affecting workers, management and, of course, readers. You can hear it here:
The second interview was part of a call-in program on Maritime Noon. The topic centred on community mediation and, in particular, resolving disputes between neighbours. Listen to it here:
http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/podcasts/maritimenoon_20160513_66961.mp3
The overall lesson in both interviews is this: People who do not talk with each other cannot resolve disputes. The longer a dispute festers and remains unresolved, the bigger the problem becomes.
Mediation is simply a facilitated negotiation. As a mediator, it’s critical to create a safe and neutral environment for people in conflict to talk and so they can find solutions that meet their needs.
The sooner people in conflict start talking, the easier it is for the mediator to help them get unstuck from their unhappy situation and moving toward resolution.
By Ronald Pizzo. Ron practices in our mediation, litigation and conflict resolution group. He holds a QMed. designation and is a certified mediator. Ron is also a certified coach having completed training the CTI co-active coaching training. Ron has a thriving coaching business helping professionals, including lawyers, in their working world.
*See our mediation/coaching website Halifax Mediation.