Farsighted: How we make the decisions that matter the most, by Steve Johnson This book is a brilliant exploration about decision making. I love it on so many levels: it provides some very practical tools and strategies for making complex decisions; it discusses the importance of both science and story (including the benefits of reading […]
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Managing conflict is always a nuanced and complex issue. However, in today’s post-pandemic world, many practitioners are finding their work especially challenging. From adapting to working online to supporting people in conflict directly over covid-related issues (such as vaccination), to encountering clients experiencing additional stressors relating to covid that impact their capacity to manage other
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Whether at work, at home, or in a community setting, conflict is practically inevitable, and conflict, by its very nature, is complex. The recent global pandemic has added new layers of complexity to managing conflict, due to much of our work and community settings moving to online platforms. Managing conflict in an online environment presents
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Iyengar rose to fame during her doctoral program when she conducted what is now a very well known study in which she set up jam tasting stations in supermarkets. The number of jams on display to taste ranged from 6 to 24 jars. Her research found that when there were more than 7 choices on
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar Read More »
This book explores the concept of choice, and the paradox it can create. When people have no choice, life is almost unbearable, and as our choices expand so does our sense of autonomy, control and liberation. Choice improves the quality of our lives (and, side note, our capacity to manage conflict). But Schwartz cautions that
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When we are in conflict, we often feel stuck, perhaps between a rock and a hard place! It’s important to remember, though, that we always have many choices about whether and how we respond in a conflict situation. Our first two obvious choices are: (1) do something, or (2) do nothing. Assuming that we would
This brand new book is another impressive addition to Bernard Mayer’s work, this time in collaboration with a former colleague. The book considers the intersection between the work we do as conflict intervenors and social activism. It provides a blueprint for how to use conflict intervention as a tool for social change. The authors argue
Paul Ekman has become a household name, and most people are familiar with his work on facial expressions of emotion. He focuses on how we express emotions on our faces, and in particular, how this can happen without any conscious effort on our part. In this book he introduces some foundational information about emotions across
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There are two essential books about emotions that everyone should read. One is this one, Emotional Intelligence (published in 1996) and the other is Susan David’s Emotional Agility (published 20 years later in 2016). Both books are about understanding and learning to work with our emotions. Goleman’s book starts with an overview of how our
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Dr Susan David is an emotions researcher and executive coach. This book is essential reading for anyone working with clients in conflict, and anyone who experiences emotions (yes, that’s all of us)! ‘Agility’ is about breaking free from our emotional habits so that we can make more conscious choices about how to respond when our
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