In Victoria there are many examples of people working together, i.e., collaborating, with the big picture in mind. I have a soft spot for these collaborations. My experience is they are usually community-oriented. They bring diverse peoples and groups together, bridge multiple interests, and work for a healthier community, for all. These collaborations are systems […]
Mediation Business Summit takeaways
October 24, 2010 by · 2 Comments
Although its been a month since I attended the Mediation Business Summit, I thought I’d share a few of my takeaways from the event. About the Summit The Summit was a multi-day event via telephone and web, designed for dispute resolution professionals by dispute resolution professionals, Tammy Lenski and Amanda Bucklow. Sessions featured business management, […]
Getting to Resolution: Turning Conflict into Collaboration – Video book review
October 19, 2010 by · Leave a Comment
I’m always on the lookout for ideas and frames that give context to my work. Recently I came across Getting to Resolution: Turning conflict into collaboration by Stewart Levine. It does just that. It touches my buttons; collaboration, conflict, resolution, mediation, community, systems thinking, to name a few. In this short video (can’t see it? […]
Triangulate conflict to find the sweet spot of resolution
October 15, 2010 by · 5 Comments
One of my earliest professional gigs was as a land surveyor. One technique surveyors use is triangulation, finding a position or location based on two other, known fixed points. Triangulation, i.e., cross-checking, is also a technique used by resolutionaries, such as mediators. We use multiple sources of information, signals, to locate that sweet spot of […]
Make it safe to fail
October 9, 2010 by · Leave a Comment
A collaborative leader makes it safe to fail and learn, and innovate. And that’s also what most facilitator and dispute resolution professionals try do too. As a mediator, I know there is no way people are going to open up, share information, and genuinely explore and resolve the issues unless they feel safe, free from […]
Caring to live with others: A new cohousing community is forming in Victoria
October 4, 2010 by · Leave a Comment
Building community is hard work. So imagine you are living in a housing complex with 32 neighbours, people whom you care about, socially network, share resources, collaborate on decisions and tasks, practice sustainability, and just plain be in good relationship with. That’s what lies ahead for you if you become a member of the Fernwood […]
Religion, Spirituality and Social Media: An evening at Social Media Club Victoria
September 29, 2010 by · 4 Comments
What are the hardest (or most important?) subjects to talk about? Many would say religion, politics and sex. Well, last night at the Victoria’s Social Media Club, religion was talked about; openly, and with enthusiasm. The topic: Religion, Spirituality and Social Media. Leading the discussion were a three-person panel; Venerable Eshu Martin (Abbot) is the […]
Self-organized teams of 4: The new model for learning?
September 26, 2010 by · Leave a Comment
I was floored by this recent TED talk by Sugata Mitra: Child-driven Education, all about the potential and power of self-organized learning. Its message has huge implications for learning, no matter the age. I got wind of this talk via Johnnie moore. Here’s the video Experimenting with education In 1999, Mitra and his colleagues […]
Social status and friendship = a pair of opposites
September 22, 2010 by · 1 Comment
We choose our friends. And, I’d like to be able to call anybody my friend, even if they are from a different social rank. Why is this so hard? Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett offer up some insight in the The Spirit Level: Why greater equality makes societies stronger. The big idea Collecting internationally comparable […]
Your Mission: Create a Global Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) System
September 18, 2010 by · 3 Comments
How do you create a global dispute resolution system? Its happening now. Momentum is building to define a global Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) system to handle cross-border, low value disputes. An ODR and Consumers 2010 Forum will be held in Vancouver on November 2 and 3, 2010 to keep the ball rolling. ODR and Consumers […]
