Many organizations can benefit from mediation in one form or another, whether to resolve conflict or simply plan for a more organized and collaborative future. The Center for Conflict Resolution offers mediation services for:

Church conflict can be a difficult and painful realization for a religious community. It is often difficult for organizations based in spirituality to accept that conflict is a prevalent reality that will happen and must be addressed if unity is to be achieved. Church conflict can be addressed in many different forms including small and large group mediation, facilitated planning meetings, large group facilitated problem solving, communication and peace building workshops, and Samoan Circles or Study Circles. The first step in addressing church conflict is to look at the organization as a system and create a joint plan for dealing with the issues that exist using any and all of the processes mentioned above.

Systems Design is a process of working with an organization or entity to identify the core issues that keep the organization from meeting its full potential. Conflict Resolution Consultants will work with the organization through interviews, examination of the working policies and procedures, observation of system dynamics, and assessment tools to help develop a comprehensive plan for minimizing destructive conflict and maximizing creative problem solving.

School Peer Conflict Resolution involves three main components. The first component is staff development and commitment to the principles of negotiation and peaceful conflict resolution. The second component is curriculum infusion. Conflict resolution materials are available in all subjects and are very appropriate in a number of specific subjects. The third component is creating a peer mediation program using student mediators who are available to mediate conflicts among their peers. In this approach conflict resolution is being modeled by the important adults in students lives, taught from an academic approach, and experienced in real life conflicts. A commitment to addressing violence in schools must include a change in environment that encompasses many learning modalities. Consulting and training is available in all of these areas.

Communication workshops are custom designed to fit the needs of your organization or group. Workshops can be designed from basic skills to advanced skills, from several hours to several days. Communication is the cornerstone of healthy relationships, whether personal or professional. Teaching people to listen well, acknowledge others, ask questions that engage dialogue, and clarify each persons understanding of the other is the goal of the workshop.

Negotiation takes place many times a day by every person. How effective we are at negotiating depends on the level of skills we bring to it. Often times we negotiate what we think we want only to be dissatisfied with the outcome. In negotiation workshops we teach the basic principles of negotiating and take it an important step further by introducing the concept of "interests." In this approach we begin to see beyond the positions that we present when entering into negotiation to identify the core needs that are driving both you and the person you are dealing with, creating a more satisfying outcome for both. Negotiation trainings are custom designed to your organization or group. They range from four hours to two days.

For groups or organizations that are using mediation services or who are interested in integrating mediation services into their work with clients or internally, will find this custom made workshop on General Principles of Mediation very useful. This one to three hour workshop includes information regarding the primary mediation process used in Nebraska, the appropriate use of mediation, interesting exercises on communication and use of mediation for your purposes, and a demonstration of a mediation session.

Copyright 2001 Center for Conflict Resolution and Letter Perfect Communications.
Last updated Wednesday, January 02, 2008.
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