CCD & MTI had the opportunity to present and exhibit at the 2015 Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA) Conference at Pepperdine Law School on November 6th. CCD & MTI director Craig Runde teamed up with former MTI training director Dr. Debra Dupree to present to attendees on How Conflict Competence and Emotional Intelligence Affects Workplace Mediators. Afterwards participants were able to stop by the MTI exhibit to discuss training options. Seasoned mediators were interested in MTI’s train-the-trainer program which would allow them to expand their portfolio of services to include training clients how to deal with conflicts more effectively by… Continue Reading MTI at the Southern California Mediation Association Conference
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Monthly Archives January 2016
What’s the difference between Empathy and Sympathy, and why has Sympathy got such a bad name?
Have you ever wondered about the difference between empathy and sympathy? And if you have, why sympathy has got such a bad name? I addressed these very questions in the recent pilot of my online course that focused on Challenging Workplace Relationships, but was prompted to write this after watching a short online video narrated by Dr. Brené Brown. In the video Dr. Brown says that empathy fuels connection and sympathy drives disconnection. To empathize, she says, we must “internalize the feelings of another.” In the examples she gives she suggests that we sympathize when we avoid acknowledging others difficult… Continue Reading What’s the difference between Empathy and Sympathy, and why has Sympathy got such a bad name?
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Book Review: Hold on to Yourself Through Tough Conversations
The Center was fortunate to get an early look at Julia Menard and Judy Zehr’s new book, Hold on to Yourself Through Tough Conversations, which comes out in early February from Balboa Press. It is a wonderful new offering that helps explain and provide pathways for addressing the emotional challenges we all face in conflict settings. The book draws from a multitude of rich and diverse sources including Jon Kabat Zinn (mindfulness), Laurel Mellin (emotional brain training), Daniel Goleman (emotional intelligence), Daniel Siegel (interpersonal biology), John Gottman (couples communications), Marshall Rosenberg (nonviolent communications), and others. It provides an in-depth but… Continue Reading Book Review: Hold on to Yourself Through Tough Conversations
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Promoting Your Practice
We covered a lot of great topics at the 2015 Practitioner Conference. One of our most popular sessions was the table talk entitled “Marketing your Conflict Practice” hosted by Matt Dreger, the Director of Digital Marketing for the Division of Executive and Continuing Education, and Dorie Michalik, the Assistant Director of Product Management for the Center for Conflict Dynamics and Mediation Training Institute. At these sessions, seasoned practitioners shared their thoughts with the group, and the CCD staff gained valuable insight into the support our certified partners need. A large list of ideas emerged from these session, take a look… Continue Reading Promoting Your Practice
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