Professional Development Courses

Alternative Dispute Resolution , or ADR, is a collective term which encompasses a variety of methods for dealing with disputes and conflicts. However, the most distinctive feature of ADR is the act of resolving disputes without taking matters to court.  The ADR process steers clear of litigation and instead utilizes negotiation, mediation and arbitration as methods to resolve disputes. In addition to be less of a hassle and a quicker route to resolution than going through the court system, ADR is also less costly.  Companies and individuals are seeing the wisdom of using Alternate Dispute Resolution, for both professional and personal matters. ADR helps people to resolve matters in house before they become matters of public record.  Another benefit of using ADR rather than litigation is that it allows for a more collaborative approach. ADR helps parties understand each other better, let go of the animosity, protect each other’s position and reach a mutually beneficial agr...

  Employee mediation is the act of using third-party involvement to resolve workplace conflicts in an informal, voluntary, and confidential manner. Workplace conflicts can escalate into arguments between staff if they are not addressed quickly.  When a variety of individuals work together in a team, conflicts and problems will inevitably occur. To resolve these, a mediator must step in. Their primary goal is to resolve problems by encouraging the disputing parties to discuss their concerns respectfully with a solution in mind.  Employee mediation is not a legal process: in fact, it exists to avoid the need for litigation. In mediation, companies appoint a trained and impartial mediator to work with the disputing parties and help them come to an agreeable solution together.    Mediators invite and facilitate open dialogues to deescalate the conflicts. They allow both parties to voice their views and perspectives. After collecting evidence and listening to both s...

What is a Remote Mediation and How Do You Make It Work? Remote mediation is a type of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that allows people to resolve their disputes without having to be in the same physical location. Remote mediation is a growing trend in the legal and business world for many reasons.      • It provides access to justice for people who would not otherwise have it,      • it saves time and money, and      • it can be done from any location that has internet access. Remote mediation is becoming more popular because of the increasing number of cases that are being filed from different parts of the world and multinational companies that have different branches in different regions. Why You Should Consider Remote Mediations for Your Business? It can be challenging to find the time and opportunity to sit down face-to-face with someone and work through a conflict. Remote mediation offers a solution for this problem.  In ess...

We meet all kinds of people in the workplace. Some of these people can be good to chat with, and others can be seen as mentors that can help you grow in your position.  Then there are some people you try to steer clear of as much as possible because you find them challenging to meaningfully interact with.  According to a study , difficult co-workers can compel an employee to leave an organization.  This article will give you some tips on dealing with difficult people, how learning this ability can help you in your personal life and how you can learn this skill. Benefits Of Learning How To Deal With Difficult People Learning how to handle difficult situations and people is a life skill. There are also a number of benefits for learning how to deal with difficult people that you should consider. Some of these benefits are:      • Better managing the fears that lead you to avoid conversations     • Interact more effectively with the individual   ...

 Negotiation is the art of dialogue that nearly every professional needs to survive in competitive industry in this day and age. Perfecting your negotiation techniques is key to making business deals work to your advantage.  Negotiation comes into play in a variety of situations, such as asking for a raise, negotiating job offers, working on budget increases, buying or selling a property, or even figuring out vacation coverage at work. It takes a variety of skills to be able to come out ahead at the bargaining table.   If you do not arm yourself with strong negotiation techniques, you will lack the confidence and the ability to strike a favorable deal. If you love getting the better end of the bargain, here are the negotiation techniques you must learn as a professional.      1. Planning  Never proceed to the bargaining table until you have planned what you’d like to address. Planning is crucial to being successful in a negotiation because it give...

A workplace is a group of diverse people, each coming from their own unique background, having different mindsets, values, and beliefs. In any context where you have such a diverse group, there is bound to be constant friction and conflict in a number of different areas.  Hence, it is not uncommon for a workplace to have a range of difficult people to deal with . There is almost always a conflict brewing somewhere, and there are many possible causes.  It may be caused by inequality in a department, disrespect from a co-worker, or a simple misunderstanding that ends up taking on a life of its own. As we know, the real world is not some utopia where everyone always lives in a land of pure kindness.  Alas, ours is not a perfect world and we have to make efforts along the way  to better navigate our world. A great start on the path is using robust strategies to deal with difficult people in the workplace. Although frustrating and draining, recognizing destructive and unb...

Businesses thrive based on the collaborative efforts of various teams and departments with different projects, management styles, and other factors. Inevitably, even the best teams disagree from time to time. Regardless of whether your team is present in person or working remotely, conflicts can arise. This is where dispute management techniques can help your organization to save time and money that is spent when conflicts are not effectively managed.  There is no doubt that conflicts cost organizations hunderds of millions of dollars per year. Picincu estimates that conflicts cost American companies more than $300 billion per year.1  These cost take on a variety of forms from diminished work performance and low employee morale to loss of revenue and the negative impact conflict has on employees’ mental health.  What Is Dispute Resolution? Whenever a conflict arises in a business of any sort, dispute resolution is used to help address it. The term dispute resolution refer...