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: Bursting Bubbles by Challenging Mediation Truisms (Part 2)

Knowledge is Power. Always be Empathic. Continuing my exploration of the negotiation myths challenged by Dan Oblinger and Allan Tsang in Negotiation Mythbusters, here I explore the validity of the above two truisms in the context of mediation and negotiation. Is Knowledge Really Power? The authors challenge three myths related…

Mediator Insights: Bursting Bubbles by Challenging Mediation Truisms (Part 1)

Trust is Necessary. The Best Negotiated Outcomes are Win-Win. Are these two oft-touted truisms really true?  Dan Oblinger and Allan Tsang challenge these and other “myths” in Negotiation Mythbusters.  Thought-provoking and insightful, their book forces us to think more deeply about the fundamental underpinnings of negotiation and mediation. Is Trust…

Book Review: Robert Cialdini’s Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade (Part 1)

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…

Mediator Insights: Dropping Anchor Bias in Mediation and Negotiation

While we may think we are objective and open-minded, we all have internal cognitive biases that affect our understanding and decision-making.  One common bias is anchor bias, which occurs when we rely heavily on one piece of data to the exclusion of all other information. In Robert Cialdini’s Pre-Suasion: A…

Mediator Insights: Click Clack Moo: Balancing Competing Interests in Mediation

In simple terms, litigation is a conflict arising from competing interests.  Party A sues Party B.  Party A wants money.  Party B does not want to pay.  Party A wants a contract modified or terminated.  Party B does not.  There are a myriad of dynamics in litigation that boil down…

Mediator Insights: Can You Hear Me? Missed Opportunities in Mediation and Conflict Resolution

Dr. Seuss’ “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” offers a classic example of missed opportunities.  Let me draw you a picture. Visualize this:  Two Dr. Seuss characters are standing back-to-back in a room.  One is named Joe.  We do not know the other’s name.  Each is holding a…