Wishing all a Happy and Healthy New Year! It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears. It’s a world of hopes and a world of fears. There’s so much that we share that it’s time we’re aware it’s a small world after all. (from It’s a Small World (After…
Category: Mayer on Mediation
Mediator Insights: Thinking Outside of the (Crayon) Box
Sometimes the solution to a problem is obvious or simple, but not always. Particularly in multifaceted conflict (such as complex litigation, restructuring negotiations, business divorces, and multi-party disputes), the path to resolution often requires thinking outside of the box. To illustrate, let’s consider Drew Daywalt’s “The Day the Crayons Quit.” …
Mediator Insights: How to Spot a Melting Ice Cube Case
Perhaps more so than any other situation, in a melting ice cube case, the best outcome for each is a consensual outcome for all. Let me explain. Most legal disputes are over the distribution of value. The value may be inventory, mineral interests, money, equity, contract performance, cessation of activities,…
Mediator Insights: How to Breach the Bully Barrier in Mediation
Bullies use aggressive behavior (physical and verbal) to intimidate and coerce others. Bullies show up in all aspects of life, including in mediation and negotiation. In many cases, the bully is the reason the dispute is in mediation. The bully has become the barrier to resolution. It is then the…
Mediator Insights: Myth – Negotiation is Manipulation
A common misconception is that negotiation (or mediation) is a form of manipulation. I strongly disagree. Manipulation influences outcomes through deception, lies, fear, and dominance. Whereas negotiation and, by extension, mediation influences decision-making through connection, communication, understanding, and exploration. As Dan Oblinger and Allan Tsang wrote in Negotiation Mythbusters: “When…
Book Review: Negotiation Mythbusters (Part 2)
Sylvia Mayer of https://smayerlaw.com/ joins Mac Pierre-Louis and Natalia Olowska-Czajka of https://olowskapierre.com/ to discuss Dan Oblinger and Allan Tsang’s Negotiation Mythbusters, which explores whether knowledge is really power and empathy is really necessary in negotiation and mediation. https://youtu.be/zI9kj45wcJg
Book Review: Negotiation Mythbusters (Part 1)
Sylvia Mayer of https://smayerlaw.com/ joins Mac Pierre-Louis and Natalia Olowska-Czajka of https://olowskapierre.com/ to discuss Dan Oblinger and Allan Tsang’s Negotiation Mythbusters, which challenges and redefines the concepts of trust and win-win in mediation. https://youtu.be/R9WTS-Wz1BY
Book Review: Robert Cialdini’s PreSuasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade (Part 2)
Sylvia Mayer of https://smayerlaw.com/ joins Mac Pierre-Louis and Natalia Olowska-Czajka of https://olowskapierre.com/ to discuss Robert Cialdini’s Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade. Sylvia is an avid reader and shares her takeaways from reading Pre-Suasion and how they apply to mediation and conflict resolution. At its core, relying on real-life situations and…
Mediator Insights: Don’t Just Know What You Want, Know What You Need
As parties prepare for mediation, they often focus on what they want. They want $X. They want out of a contract. They want to pay nothing. They want…. Sometimes parties forget to also consider what they need. There is a big difference between what you want (e.g., everything you asked…
Mediator Insights: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus in Mediation
While it may require time, patience, perseverance, and creativity, as a mediator, I truly believe that most disputes can be settled. But just because most disputes can one day be settled, does not mean that all disputes can be settled at any given time. To illustrate, let’s consider Mo Willems’…