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Choices

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 […]

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WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: The Neutrality Trap by Bernard S. Mayer, Jacqueline N. Font-Guzmán

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

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WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: Emotions Revealed by Paul Ekman

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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WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

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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WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: Emotional Agility by Susan David

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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WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: Mediation Behaviour by Stephen Walker

This book has just been released by a UK mediator and former solicitor. It attempts to synthesize much of the recent research about the brain, emotions and behaviour and apply it to our work as mediators. The book chapters focus on Brain, Feeling, Thinking, Intuition, Self, Barriers, Bridges, Persuasion, Prediction, Perception, Money, Power, Truth, Fairness,

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WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown

This is the newest book by Brené Brown, and as usual it provides an engaging and accessible overview of research about emotions, combined with Brené’s very personal anecdotes. The book’s raison d’etre is to help us understand how our feelings, thoughts and behaviours work together, and how our emotions shape our thoughts and decisions. These

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WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

This book is essential reading for anyone who is trying to change, or who supports others to change. The book explains why change is hard, why sustaining change is even harder, and then provides some very practical strategies and scaffolding to support people to do those hard things. The authors identify three surprises about change:

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WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: Conflict, Power and Organizational Change by Deborah A. Colwill

Conflict, power and organizational change by Deborah A. Colwill (2022) This new book explores the relationship between conflict, power and change as they relate to the everyday life of the organizational members and leaders. It includes chapters on each topic, and a concluding chapter about the relationship between the three. Each chapter provides a useful

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