The New York Times Opinion published a guest essay entitled “The Dark Side of Empathy” on May 4, 2025. While it has a political slant, it raises the question of whether empathy is being used as a tactic. As background, and as I noted in a blog last [Read More]
In teaching mediation, I discuss the notion that mediation is a process of change, and like all changes, it takes time. It is often a slow process because it entails transformation. The mediation session is a transformation: it transforms one’s thinking. A party will walk into the session thinking one [Read More]
One of the areas we cover in my online Employment Dispute Mediation Class is what is mediable or negotiable and what is not. For example, disputed issues of fact and law are not negotiable because they will be decided by a trier of fact, be it a judge or jury. [Read More]
My husband and I had quite a scare last week: we thought we would have to say goodbye to Buddy, our 14-year-old male dog who has cancer. We found him collapsed out in the yard and thought the end had come. We took him to the emergency vet with the [Read More]
Last year, The Economist published an article about fairness in its business section entitled “Fairness: The hidden currency of the workplace” (February 8, 2024 ). While the article discusses fairness in connection with employers, employees, and customers, the underlying issue is resolving conflicts in a “fair” manner. One example given [Read More]
Last fall, the Los Angeles County Superior Court instituted a volunteer mediation panel. The program is designed to help the court better manage its immense caseload by having some of these cases resolved before trial. As part of the program, mediators agree to volunteer three hours of their time to [Read More]
In his book, Influence: Science and Practice (Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 4th ed. 2001), Robert Cialdini lists six weapons of influence. One of them is “social proof,” which, … states that we determine what is correct by finding out what other people think is correct. The principle applies especially to [Read More]
Yesterday--March 20- marked the twelfth anniversary of the International Day of Happiness. A United Nations Resolution was passed at its 118th plenary meeting on June 28, 2012, declaring March 20th of each year to be the holiday. As one might guess, the Kingdom of Bhutan promoted the resolution, which has [Read More]
