May 16th, 2008
New Here?
Join Our Interactive Online Conflict Resolution and Mediation Community!
When negotiating, what is the best way to handle conflicts? When one party is under an impression that they feel is contrary to their best interest, how do you maintain the relationship and the good will between the two of you?
Depending upon the situation, you could be in for a tough time.
I recently found myself in a situation that put my skills to the test. I was accused by a business partner of neglecting a business situation. In one situation, he thought a client situation had not been addressed to his liking.
We had a discussion over the phone about how the situation came to be and who allowed it to get out of hand. Since both of us have very hectic schedules and travel a lot, we knew a face to face meeting could not be had. That in itself was a potential problem.
On the phone, we surmised how the situation came about and then I sought documentation to prove my point.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Conflict Resolution, Negotiation | No Comments »
May 15th, 2008
Don’t be surprised if you have not heard of a divorce coach, or if you view the idea with skepticism. Divorce coaching is a relatively new field which is still somewhat undefined. A look at the role of a divorce coach in the collaborative divorce helps explain the need for this additional resource as part of a collaborative divorce team.
In a traditional divorce, an attorney functions not only as a legal problem solver, but often as a therapist of sorts. Clients commonly face the emotional impact of their separation while trying to work on the legal aspect at the same time.
Most attorneys are not trained to act as therapists and cannot provide the proper emotional support to their clients. As a result, the attorney and client spend hours discussing the emotional aspects of divorce and the client ends up paying a huge bill and receiving little more than a shoulder to cry on.
In addition, many divorcing couples wind up in the traditional litigation route because they are reacting to fear, anger and a desire for retribution and are not thinking about what will happen once the divorce battle has ended.
A divorce coach helps solve these problems by refocusing emotion-based thinking and helping the couple determine what is important for themselves and their children, both presently and in the future.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Divorce | No Comments »
May 14th, 2008
It should not be a surprise to anyone that whenever there’s construction there’s a possibility for conflict.
And you don’t have to be Donald Trump to have disputes with lease holders, land owners, vendors, contractors, zoning commissions, or planning boards.
In fact whether you are building an office tower, your dream house, or your child’s tree house - the possibility of running afoul of one regulation or another should be front and center in your mind.
So it shouldn’t be a surprise to learn that there is a professional dispute resolution firm that specializes in both residential and commercial construction disputes and is available to conduct mediations and/or arbitrations anywhere in the United States and in selected foreign countries.
One that also provides construction specialists and expert witnesses for any form of dispute resolution including civil litigation and provides experts to serve on Dispute Review Boards and Construction Settlement Panels for major construction projects.
Peter G. Merrill, the firm’s President & CEO, and a foundational member of our online interactive community of conflict resolution and mediation professionals, regularly receives requests from various major construction trade magazines and from various trade associations and organizations to write articles for their newsletter or magazine.
Here are over a dozen insightful articles published in construction related industry journals. The best way to avoid your next construction dispute (or work through your current one) may be found in one of his well thought out articles. http://www.constructiondisputes-cdrs.com/articles_by_peter_merrill.htm
Posted in Arbitration, Conflict Resolution, Construction Conflict, Cost of Conflict, Mediation | No Comments »
