Cinnie Noble and the Conflict Coaching Guild on LinkedIn

The coaches coach.  That’s sort of how I think of Cinnie Noble.  I’ve gotten to know Cinnie a bit over the last couple of years, through social media, and via reading her excellent book, Conflict Management Coaching: The CINERGY Model. The other day I actually had my first opportunity to chat with Cinnie, via Skype. […]

If then else: The computer programmer's approach to mediating conflict

How our brain works cannot easily be mapped into a computer.  Ironically, the workings of a computer can be applied to our daily thought and practice, and lead to re-wiring of our brains. One of my earlier careers was as computer programmer, coding IBM software applications.  If there was one programming technique I used more […]

12 Working-with-technology practices that will make you a better virtual facilitator

Taking what you’re good at doing in-person and doing the same thing in the virtual world can be a challenge. Over the last few months I’ve facilitated many online meetings, both as a project facilitator and mediator.   After each session, I usually journal what worked and/or what I have to work on, for being better […]

CIIAN: Helping Nations build their conflict resolution capacity

I had a great long-distance conversation with Evan Hoffman this week.  Based in Ottawa, he is Executive Director of the Canadian International Institute of Applied Negotiation (CIIAN), a Canadian NGO, as well as being a Faculty member with the School of Peace and Conflict Management at Royal Roads University. Initially connecting with Evan through Twitter […]

Circles: In Life and Death

We gathered in concentric circles, like the rings on a tree that show its age, in a small community hall this week, to sing songs that celebrated our friend, who had just died.  With those in the innermost circle leading the songs, we sang together, folk favourites of the deceased. Combined with other remembrances, food, […]