
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

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

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

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

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,

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