Registration for the 2020 Conference is closed. Join us for the 2021 Conference.
We hope you will join us next year at the 18th Annual Conflict Resolution and Mediation Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida on January 12–14, 2021! Reserve your spot at a reduced rate.
Elevate the Conversation
2020 Conference Keynotes!
Amanda Ripley
Amanda Ripley is an investigative journalist for The Atlantic and other magazines. Her work explores the mysteries of human behavior and what makes conflict so magnetic. She is the author of a New York Times bestseller and a frequent guest on several international news programs.
David S. Leong
David is the only person in the United States who is a certified conflict resolution trainer and a certified Broadway fight master. His work has been seen in more than 20 Broadway and London West End plays and musicals and over 300 productions around the globe.
Andrew MacDonald
Andrew is currently serving as a VP and HR Director for a Washington, D.C.-based government contracting firm. Taking a behavioral and human development perspective to the workplace, Andrew looks to enhance the employee experience and business outcomes, and ultimately happiness, quality of life and our broader development as people.
Upcoming Registration Deadlines:
Pre-Conference Certification Workshops—Registration Closed
Late Registration—Registration Closed
MTI Presents
17th Annual Conflict Resolution and Mediation Conference
We hope you can join us at the 17th Annual Conflict Resolution and Mediation Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida on January 14–16, 2020!
The focus of this year’s conference is on how to “Elevate the Conversation” in the workplace. As always, this conference brings together conflict resolution professionals from various industries to learn and exchange ideas with one another.
The concept of “Elevate the Conversation” is a key element of the Mediation Training Institute’s (MTI) conflict resolution model, and each of the scales of the Conflict Dynamics Profile (CDP) highlight the constructive and destructive behaviors that affect the outcome of our conversations.
The conference will center around the following topics:
- Coaching others to become more effective leaders through improved conversations;
- Tactics for training individuals to handle conflict through healthier conversations;
- Tools and techniques for turning negative conversations into positive ones;
- The emotional and physical aspects of conflict conversations; and
- Strategies to keep conversations on track as a mediator.
More about the Conference
REGISTER NOW
Questions?
Contact us at mti@eckerd.edu or 888-359-9906
CONFERENCE AGENDA
PRE-CONFERENCE CERTIFICATION WORKSHOPS: Tuesday, January 14, 2020
8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Conflict Dynamics Profile (CDP) Certification Workshop
The CDP focuses specifically on workplace conflict and addresses constructive and destructive behaviors that help resolve or escalate conflict. Following this workshop and upon completing a post-workshop feedback session with a CDP Trainer, attendees will be fully certified to use the CDP.
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. | Lunch
Lunch is provided for attendees of either the CDP morning session or the EMP afternoon session.
1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. | Entrepreneurial Mindset Profile (EMP) Certification Workshop
The EMP is a cutting-edge assessment tool based on extensive research into the traits, motivations and skills of entrepreneurs. Available in individual and group formats, the EMP can help leaders, individual contributors and intact teams assess the degree to which they are utilizing an “entrepreneurial mindset.” Following this workshop and one follow-up phone call, attendees will be fully certified to use the EMP.
8:00 a.m.–8:30 a.m. | Arrival & Breakfast
Registration check-in and breakfast on the Eckerd campus.
8:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m. | Welcome and Introductions
Terry Marschall has been active as a mediator of workplace conflict for more than three decades. In her capacity as a certified mediator and as a master trainer for Mediation Training Institute, she has guided hundreds of people in resolving their differences in the workplace, creating collaborative and productive environments, and preserving the employer’s bottom line. Terry’s success in resolving conflict flows
from a deep understanding of the complexity and dynamics of workplace relationships and their impact on the organization as a whole.
Ms. Marschall has held numerous corporate and regional positions with top companies such as the Target Corporation, Woodward & Lothrop/John Wanamaker, Mervyns and the May Company. She held positions as a Divisional Vice President, Regional Human Resources Manager and Stores Director in these Fortune 500 companies.
Terry is certified as a Senior Human Resources Professional (SPHR) by the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI), and Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Terry holds dual Bachelors’ Degrees in Business Administration and Fashion/Textile Design, with post-graduate studies in Human Resource Development.
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m. | Keynote Presentation
Conflict, whether political or personal, can escalate and become toxic. At this level, known as “high conflict,” we start sorting the world into good and evil, us and them. Things become suddenly very clear. Our brains behave differently. We tend to exaggerate the differences between ourselves and the other political party or racial or religious group (or sibling or co-worker), without realizing we are doing it. We believe the other side cannot change, even when it can. We lose valuable skills. It’s impossible to feel curious, for example, while also feeling threatened. To try to understand how to communicate in times of discord and division, Amanda spent a year following people who navigate conflict in different ways–including psychologists, rabbis, peace negotiators, and conflict mediators from all over the world. She discovered that it is possible to revive complexity and curiosity, even in high conflict. But the traditional methods of explaining, arguing or avoidance will not work. Drawing on stories of people in all kinds of conflict, as well as research into human behavior, Amanda has developed specific rules of engagement for high conflict including smarter questions to ask any opponent, better ways to share information that people don’t want to hear, and conversational tactics to excavate deeper, more interesting truths. This work is surprising and ultimately hopeful, and it has transformed how Amanda operates as a journalist. Her major book on this theme will be published in 2021.
Amanda Ripley is an investigative journalist for The Atlantic and other magazines. She is the author, most recently, of The Smartest Kids in the World–and How They Got That Way, a New York Times bestseller. Her first book, The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes–and Why, was published in 15 countries and turned into a PBS documentary.
In her books and magazine writing, Amanda explores the mysteries of human behavior using science and storytelling. What makes conflict so magnetic, whether it’s personal or political, and how do some people manage to break free of its grasp? How does the brain learn–and how does that compare to what children do in school all day? For Time Magazine and The Atlantic, she has written cover stories on the college of the future, the politics of education reform and the science of motivating children. She has visited schools on four continents and interviewed hundreds of students, teachers and parents. She is currently working on a major book about human behavior in conflicts of all kinds. By telling stories that people remember, Amanda brings life to complex research that can change the way we think about the world.
The Smartest Kids in the World was cited as one of the most notable books of the year by the New York Times, the Economist, the Washington Post and Amazon.com. Amanda’s writing has also appeared in the New York Times, Politico, Slate, the Wall Street Journal, and the Times of London. Her work has helped Time win two National Magazine Awards. To discuss her writing, Amanda has appeared on ABC, NBC, CNN, FOX News and NPR. She has spoken at the Pentagon, the Senate, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as conferences on leadership, public policy and education.
Before joining Time as a staff writer in 2000, Amanda covered the D.C. courts for Washington City Paper and Capitol Hill for Congressional Quarterly. She graduated from Cornell University. Amanda currently lives in Washington, D.C., where she is a Senior Fellow at the Emerson Collective.
10:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Breakout Sessions
Session Leader: Mark Rosenberg, Managing Director, BalanceCurve
Executive & Team Coach, Facilitator, Conflict Management Consultant & Mediator
Session Details: Elevating the Conversation in Teams
In today’s complex, fast moving world, Teams are critical to organisational success. The nature of most tasks requires some form of team work, whether in formal leadership or management teams, project teams, cross-organisational teams etc. Working collaboratively with others is now a core capability for almost everyone working in organisations. Enabling teams, of whatever type, to engage in effective conversation with each other and with external stakeholders is critical to success. What do we as coaches and leaders need to do to elevate the conversation in Teams? Mark Rosenberg draws on his own experience as well as the perspective of well know authors such as Amy Edmondson and David Clutterbuck to identify 5 things that are critical to elevating conversation and driving team performance.
Session Leader: Gregory Broberg, Ph.D., Arizona State University, School of Social Transformation
Session Details: Teaching Future Mediators within the Online Learning Environment
The popularity of online learning environments has greatly expanded over the past decade. Unlike traditional online courses, teaching students to become mediators within this environment is challenging. This session explores the implementation of the MTI Workplace Mediator training within an online undergraduate course. Participants in this session will see first hand how online learning tools can be used to ensure proper certification of mediators.
Session Leaders: Dan Dana, Founder of the Mediation Training Institute (MTI) and Terry Marschall, Terry Marschall, Senior Faculty Consultant, Mediation Training Institute (MTI)
Session Details: Mediating Group Conflict: Method and Case Study
Dan and Terry will present a model for reaching consensus within teams and larger groups, whether struggling with conflict or simply challenged by lack of decision. They will also present a case study, with extensive documentation, for how this method was applied in an organization of about 150 members. The method can be used by an external mediator/facilitator or by a leader within the organization.
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. | Lunch
Lunch on the Eckerd campus.
1:00 p.m.–1:10 p.m. | Ice Breakers
1:15 p.m.–2:30 p.m. | Keynote Presentation
Imagine you have three weeks to build a harmonious team with people who are polar opposites and don’t know each other. What if their ages range from 23 – 73, and some people make a weekly salary 50 times that of another? And, to top it off, most of them have been hired without the requisite skills? In this keynote address, Broadway Fight Master David S. Leong shares how he choreographs consent, collaboration, and trust while using conflict resolution skills to guide this team to victory. Attendees will learn how to build trust without talking, how to create a common language, how to start with a story, and how to push and pull without punching.
David is the only person in the United States who is a certified conflict resolution trainer and a certified Broadway fight master. His work has been seen in more than 20 Broadway and London West End plays and musicals and over 300 productions around the globe. Thus far, he has successfully kept a long list of notable stars like Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle, Christopher Plummer and Sigourney Weaver from turning their stage conflicts into real fights!
As a certified mediator and conflict resolution trainer and coach, David speaks on a wide range of subjects and conducts workshops on conflict resolution, leadership presence and business communication. His book Real-World Public Speaking: Great Presentations as Theatre is widely used by college students throughout the United States. He also served on the faculties at The Juilliard School, Brandeis University and Virginia Commonwealth University where he was chair and director. David earned his conflict resolution certification from Cornell University and MTI.
2:45 p.m.–4:00 p.m. | Breakout Sessions
Session Leader: Robin Fernandez, PCC, NCC
Leadership & Communications Coach/Trainer
Nature of Being
Session Details: Developing Emotional Agility – The Impact of Emotions on Conversation Outcomes
Elevate your conversations through awareness in how emotional states and body attitudes influence what is possible in conversations and
communication. In this experiential session, participants will engage in interactive conversation, somatic (body) practices, and acting exercises to
develop their emotional agility and to shift who they are “being” to positively impact desired outcomes in conversations.
Topics Include:
- Ontological* Coaching Models to Evoke Emotional Wisdom
- Review of Survival Instinct & Awareness of Personal Biases
- Emotions and Centering
Experiential Exercises:
- Emotions and Returning to Center
- Influence of Various Emotions on Conversations (exercise will be in the context of coaching);
- Somatic Practice – Shifting Conflict
* Ontology is the branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of existence or nature of being.
Session Leaders: Dr. Kim Faircloth, Owner of Integrative Conflict Solutions, LLC and
Master Trainer for the Mediation Training Institute at Eckerd College
Dawn V. Bedlivy, Esq., Defense Intelligence Senior Level (DISL)
Session Details: I Can…I Will
One, of many, important goals for conflict coaches/teachers is to help others develop the competence (the skills) and confidence to act. It's a reality though that sometimes, despite our best skills-building and coaching efforts, our customers don't put those new skills to work in order to create the change they desire. In this presentation (and discussion!), we will explore what keeps us parked sometimes– engine on, desired destination in front of us, knowing what to do, but not moving forward. How can we help our conflict customers put their foot on the gas?
Session Leader: Robb Olsen, Founder and Chief Disruption Officer of Conflict Disrupted, LLC and Master Trainer for the Mediation Training Institute at Eckerd College
Session Details: Session information to be provided shortly.
4:15 p.m.–5:15 p.m. | General Session
Session Leader: Dorie Michalik, Director of Business Development, Mediation Training Institute (MTI) at Eckerd College
Session Details: World Cafe: Elevating the Conversation and Effective Communication
5:15 p.m.–5:30 p.m. | Day One Wrap-up
5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m. | Networking and Social
CONFERENCE DAY 2: Thursday, January 16, 2020
8:00 a.m.–8:30 a.m. | Arrival & Breakfast
Breakfast on the Eckerd campus.
8:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m. | Morning Announcements
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m. | Keynote Presentation
In this session we will look at the essential nature of mediation skills in a consultant’s toolkit and the process of developing this capacity through an ANSI (The American National Standards Institute) certified professional development program. This will lead into a discussion on the application of these skills within the unique context of supporting federal government clients.
Andrew has held various positions in the management consulting arena, currently serving as a VP and HR Director for a Washington, D.C.-based government contracting firm. With over 15 years of professional experience in public, private and nonprofit sectors, Andrew’s career focus has been on enhancing mission alignment and increasing business effectiveness and value through people. This includes workplace mediation and conflict management, human resource management, and organizational analysis and design.
Andrew’s human-centric focus on the workplace comes from experiencing the profound impact workplace issues have on employees, organizations and employees’ lives. Taking a behavioral and human development perspective to the workplace, Andrew looks to enhance the employee experience and business outcomes, and ultimately happiness, quality of life and our broader development as people.
10:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Breakout Sessions
Session Leader: Karen Gulliford, Chief Learning Officer/Owner, Great Workplaces, LLC
Coach, Leadership Development Expert, OD Consultant; HR Senior Leader
Session Details: Be a Strategic Business Partner: Don’t Apply Band-Aids on Your Client’s Problems
We’re smart and talented HR professionals. We’re wired to be problem-solvers, helpers, mediators and implementers. Our clients are running complicated, dynamic business units. And, they have multiple problems: performance problems, behavioral problems, organizational problems, people problems. As a trainer, coach or consulting professional, you want to be the catalyst to real, lasting change, and to be a true business partner to help business units and teams reach and sustain goals. Sometimes, they don’t need a band-aid, they need more, and you can help them realize this broader, deeper need, so that real change is possible. In this session, we will explore how you can become a valuable strategic partner that they cannot live without!
By the end of the presentation, attendees will be able to
- Apply 5 rules to live by to be a strategic, consultative partner to clients
- Ask smart coaching questions to get to the core of your client’s problems
- Activate a 3 step process to structure a strategic client conversation that is valuable, in less than an hour
Session Leader: Margaret Cooley, Director of the Leadership Development Institute (LDI) at Eckerd College
Session Details: Step Up to Conflict
More details about this session to be provided shortly.
Session Leader: Dr. Barbara Sunderland Manousso, Founder of Manousso Mediation and Arbitration, LLC: Conflict Resolution Coaching & Training
Session Details: Modernizing Your Mediation Practice
This presentation will offer a renewed lens on how to refresh skills and concepts that promote best practice and ethical standards in mediation to help you reinvent a more modern mediation practice. Based on the ABA Model Standards for Mediation, this workshop will be retro in concept, but inventive in design for modernizing your skills, dialogue, and mediation communication practice and marketing.
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. | Lunch
Lunch on the Eckerd campus.
1:00 p.m.–1:15 p.m. | Ice Breakers
1:15 p.m.–2:30 p.m. | Breakout Sessions
Session Leader: Erika Deines, President of D&A | Deines & Associates and Master Trainer for the Mediation Training Institute at Eckerd College
Session Details: Conflict Coaching: The Philosophy and Psychology of Selfhood
In this presentation, you will be introduced to a unique coaching model that marries the field of coaching with the field of dispute resolution. The P.A.C.E. model defines the qualities and skills required to be an effective conflict coach. The nature of the communication perspective that serves as a foundation of the model will demonstrate how a coach provides individuals with the opportunity to develop insight into their own (conflict) story and possible contribution to unproductive interactions; how the coach helps people in considering skills needed to resolve conflict constructively and in practicing alternative ways to replace habitual and counterproductive behaviors. Often clients seek coaching to help them be less argumentative, competitive or confrontational. And before we can help others as conflict coaches we have a duty to self-assess, self-reflect and self-coach; and understand the philosophy and psychology of Selfhood in relation to bias, triggers and transference of our own, conscious or beyond-conscious, conflict competency.
Session Leader: Susan Hahn, Founder and President of Swan Consulting Group, Inc.
Session Details: The Impostor Phenomenon and Leadership: When Perceptions Override Reality
This session explores the impact on emerging and existing leaders of the Impostor Phenomenon (IP); labeled in the early 1970’s as the feelings leaders experience when they deny that their accomplishments are “real,” or based on their actual skills or abilities. Instead, they attribute their success to external factors such as luck, timing and the generosity of others. Many become stalled in their careers, fearing they will be “caught” and labeled an “impostor”. IP will be explained in relation to how it manifests in leaders today. 3 experiential activities will bring IP to life.
Session Leaders: Bettina Smallman, Director of Pediatric Anesthesia at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY
Terry Marschall, Sr. Faculty Consultant for the Mediation Training Institute at Eckerd College
Session Details: Implementation of a Conflict Management Tool at Upstate Medical University: The U-TURN model
The Caregiver Collaboration Taskforce developed the U-TURN model which provides a mechanism to de-escalate a situation of conflict between two employees. Poor communication and negative conflict has been directly linked to patient outcome and quality of care. The goal was to develop a cross-discipline process, resulting in a professional resolution of conflict.
2:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m. | Program Conclusion
Session Leader: Terry Marschall, Senior Faculty Consultant for the Mediation Training Institute (MTI) at Eckerd College
WHY ATTEND
Role-Based Breakout Sessions
The 2020 conference has been enhanced with customized breakout sessions specifically tailored for coaches, trainers and mediators.
Engage with Leaders in the Field of Conflict Management
We are pleased to bring together world-renowned leaders in the conflict management field so that you can meet and network with the best of the best.
Key Topics
We have a broad and varied agenda this year including:
– Trends in Conflict Management and Mediation
– Effective Implementation of Organizational Conflict Management
– How To Leverage Your Certification and Training
– Role-Based Breakout Sessions
– Professional Skill Development
– Business and Marketing Best Practices
PRICING and REGISTRATION
Conference Registration: January 15–16, 2020
LATE
After December 15, 2019
$350/per person
+ Additional Pre-Conference Certifications: January 14, 2020
CDP Certification
January 14 (1/2-Day): 8 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
$450 Per Person (Standard is $995)
EMP Certification
January 14 (1/2-Day): 1 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
$450 Per Person (Standard is $750)*
More Information on EMP Certification
*Additional discounts offered to Educators for EMP Certification. Please contact us at mti@eckerd.edu or 888-359-9906 for more information.
SPECIAL KEYNOTES and SPEAKERS
Additional speakers to be added shortly!
NETWORKING and SOCIAL EVENTS
In addition to the conference being a great place to learn, we also provide time for you to network with your peers and enjoy St. Petersburg, FL, nicknamed the Sunshine City. The conference will host a networking/social event the first evening on the Eckerd College campus. In addition, you will have opportunities to meet up on your own with fellow attendees at St. Pete’s numerous restaurants and shops.
LOCATION
The Conference will take place on Eckerd College’s waterfront campus, home to the Mediation Training Institute and Leadership Development Institute, a Network Associate of the Center for Creative Leadership. Conference events will be hosted in various conference centers and meeting rooms located throughout the campus.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Hyatt Place Downtown St. Petersburg
- 6.6 miles from campus
25 2nd Street North
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
We have arranged a special conference rate at the Hyatt Place Downtown St. Petersburg for program participants. Due to St. Petersburg being a very popular tourist destination (January–May), you are urged to make your hotel reservations at the time of your conference registration.
To get the Eckerd College rate, use this reservation link or enter Corporate Group Code 100252 when making reservations online.
Guests may also call 1-800-993-4751 and request the corporate rate for Eckerd College.
REGISTER
Attend the 2020 Conference!
Review the Refund and Transfer & Substitution Policy for the Mediation Training Institute.
If you have a colleague who would benefit from attending the conference and needs to get certified in one or both of the assessments, please invite them to attend.
Conference Coordination:
For any questions on the Conference, please contact us at any time at mti@eckerd.edu or 888-359-9906.