Learn how to:

• Analyze and diagnose the causes of conflict
• Use the communication skills of mediators: listening, framing, reframing, and handling strong emotions
• Raise conflict in a constructive way
• Explore issues in depth, generate multiple options, evaluate options, and develop acceptable
  solutions with the parties
• Deal with difficult behaviour and impasses in conflict
• Recognize and respond to cultural and power issues in conflictt

a) Introduction to Employment Mediation

To set the tone for the week, your trainers will discuss the factors that both support and inhibit mediation: Is there interdependence among the parties? Are there time pressures? Are the right people at the table? Is there the "will to settle"? Begin to develop strategies for dealing with conflict and working through problems in relationships, data collection, structure, and value differences.

Follow a mediation process road map:

• Preparation
• Opening remarks/contracting
• Initial exploration of parties' perspectives
• Summary of issues and development of agenda
• Probing and framing the issues
• Problem solving
• Reaching final agreement

Learn more about:

• Conducting positional bargaining
• Interest-based negotiation, from pre-negotiation planning to the actual negotiation session
• The principles of integrative negotiation
• The foundations of facilitating effective meetings and overcoming challenges such as conflict avoidance

b) Strategies for Beginning Mediation

Successful mediation begins with thorough preparation and exploration of both sides' perspectives. Learn how to craft opening remarks to start off on the right foot. Develop the skills to facilitate an early discussion to identify the issues and competing interests, and to ultimately move the sides towards a collaborative problem-solving relationship.

Learn to:

• Create an agenda for problem solving
• Clarify the boundaries of topics for discussion
• Get buy-in of the parties to the tasks ahead
• Surface other issues that have not yet been
  identified

Mediation simulation: Your group will participate in a series of mediation simulations featuring role plays and on-the-spot coaching and debriefing.

c) Probing, Framing, Listening

Inevitably, as a mediator you will be confronted by strong emotions and threatening statements. You will need finely honed communications skills for framing issues and interests. Your trainers discuss the mechanics of good listening, the three ways of understanding another person's experience, and how to translate toxic statements into claims to which others can productively respond.

d) Mastering the Problem-Solving Stage

As a mediator, your goal in the middle stage of mediation is to try and move parties to answer: How can we...? or what can we do that will...? Learn how to explore issues in depth, generate and evaluate options, and develop a settlement agreement.

e) Using Caucus

A caucus — a private meeting between the mediator and one party — is often used strategically to promote positive communication and to create movement toward settlement.

Learn how to manage:

• Confidentiality issues
• Ethical dilemmas
• High levels of emotion

f) Breaking the Logjam

Deadlocks occur: there appear to be incompatible interests, issues are complex, and parties are focused on the past. You will learn strategies to deal with such impasses and be given the opportunity to practice what you learn.

Develop the insight and skill to deal with power issues: How can you, the mediator, recognize and address power inequities in the context of the mediation process?

Take a probing look at the nature of conflict, dealing in particular with:

• Gender issues in negotiation
• Cultural issues that influence problem solving

g) Using Two Heads Rather Than One

Co-mediation has its benefits and drawbacks. It can offer a balance of knowledge and mentoring to the mediation process, or it can be an additional strain as a result of conflicting styles. What are the ingredients of successful co-mediation? How do effective co- mediators avoid becoming part of the problem they are trying to solve? Practice what you learn in a co-mediation role play, with the help of experienced coaches.

h) Closing the Deal

Learn how to formalize agreements applying the basic principles of written agreements: clarity, enforceability, balance of concessions, and neutral language.

i) Preparing for Home

To close the program, you will discuss how to apply your new learnings to your own organization.

Cover topics such as:

• Dispute systems design and change management
• Criteria for recruitment of mediators
• Goals for a positive conflict culture within your organization

Interactive learning

You will participate in a five-part mediation simulation featuring role plays, on-the-spot coaching, and debriefing. Interventions will come alive in these stimulating exercises.

Takeaways

• Comprehensive Dispute Resolution Skills Manual

Organizational benefits

• Reduced amount of time spent on employee disputes
• Significant savings in grievance arbitration costs
• Identification of new ways to meet organizational challenges
• In-house capacity in conflict resolution
• Better use of the many dispute resolution processes available

This program is designed for HR and IR professionals, managers, lawyers, and mediators who want to gain an in-depth experience in helping parties resolve conflict at the earliest stage.

• H.R. Associate, Ontario Power Generation
• Environment, Safety and Social Responsibility Advisor, Petro Canada
• President, Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union (RWDSU)
• Deputy Fire Chief, Brampton Fire and Emergency Services
• Labour Relations Officer, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
• Advisor, Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE)
• Labour Relations Specialist, Babcock and Wilcox Canada
• Deputy Director Human Resources, Sanofi Pasteur
• Acting Warden, Correctional Services of Canada
• Employee Relations Advisor, Ministry of Government & Consumer Services
• Director of Operations, Waste Management
• Human Resources Manager, St Marys Cement
• Group Brand Manager, Astellas Pharmaceuticals
• Class Services Officer, The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
• Human Resources Manager, Gateway Society
• LR Lead, Flint Energy Services Ltd.
• National Manager, Industrial Production Relations, Canadian Film & Television Production Association
• Human Resources Consultant, Providence Care
• VP Employee Relations, Bentall Capital
• Officer, Labour Relations, Via Rail Canada
• Vice President, Human Resources, Expertech Network Installation
• Director, HR, CSA Group
• Superintendent, Employee Relations, Essa Algoma Steel Inc
• District Manager, LCBO
• Labour Relations Officer, City of Saskatoon
• Executive Director, Winnipeg Association of Public Service Officers
• Staff Negotiator, Canada Safeway Limited
• Manager, Human Resources, Lac Des Iles Mines Ltd.
• Director of Organizational Effectiveness, City of Kingston
• HR Manager/Operations, E.H. Price Ltd.
• Senior H.R. Consultant, The Regional Municipality of York
• Human Resource Manager, Irving Paper
• Emloyee Relations Consultant, SaskPower
• Human Resources Manager, Gerdau Ameristeel
• Human Resources Consultant, Canada Revenue Agency
• Labour Relations Consultant, Halifax Regional Municipality

Julie Macfarlane

Julie Macfarlane Ph.D. is a full professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Windsor. Julie has been a mediator (of workplace, organizational, community, contract, and personal injury matters) for more than 15 years. She has special expertise in dispute resolution program evaluation and conducts qualitative research on various aspects of the impact of conflict resolution on professional and community practices. In 2005 she was the first Canadian recipient of the International Academy of Mediators' Award of Excellence, presented annually to an individual mediation practitioner.

Over the past 15 years, Julie has provided mediation training for legal practitioners, law students, civil servants, union and management groups, aboriginal council members, legal aid workers, and health care professionals. more...

Bernie Mayer

Bernie Mayer is a professor at the Werner Institute for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and a partner at CDR Associates, based in Boulder, Colorado. Since the late 1970s, Bernie has mediated or facilitated the resolution of labour management, public policy, ethnic, business, family, community, and intergovernmental conflicts.

Bernie is internationally recognized as a trainer and an innovative leader in applying mediation and conflict resolution to human service arenas and particularly to disputes between public agencies and involuntary clients. He has consulted on conflict management procedures and trained mediators, negotiators, and conflict interveners throughout the United States and Canada, and in Australia, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Moldova, Poland, Hungary, and New Zealand. more...

Kingston: Four Points (Apr 29-May 04, 2012)

Queen's University IRC is proud to hold this session at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, located at 285 King Street East, in historic downtown Kingston. Hotel rooms are available to participants at a special rate until one month prior to the program. Following your registration for the program, we will provide you with an unique link for hotel reservations. For more information on the hotel visit http://www.fourpointskingston.com/.