ADR Vantage, Inc.ADR Vantage, Inc.ADR Vantage, Inc.
I never liked Spring cleaning. To me, it always represented a weekend of heavy chores and time away from relaxation and fun. But this year, cleaning feels necessary. As the pandemic forced many people indoors, we converted our living spaces to workspaces and stayed home more than ever before. Now,…
From our Managing Director, Tara Taylor… When I first learned to mediate, I felt like there were so many “not to dos”. Things I was not supposed to say or do, in an effort to maintain my neutrality, to avoid making judgements, and to allow self-determination for the parties. In…
When I was growing up, I never liked it when my grandmother forced me to apologize for something, I’d done to aggravate my younger sister. In fact, most of the time, I just grumbled a quick “I’m sorry” just so my grandmother would leave me alone and let me get…
Did you know that over 90% of ADR Vantage’s client projects were conducted virtually this year? Our team has been conducting online mediations, facilitation, and training for years, and our full-time staff has been operating as a remote team since 2019, but this year was quite different. 2020 marks a…
As more and more organizations look to enhance their current Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, the concept of “psychological safety” is a renewed area of focus. Widely considered to be the “Father of Employee Engagement”, Professor and researcher Daniel Kahn discussed the concept of psychological safety in the workplace…
70% of workers claim that right now is the most stressful time of their entire professional careers. A global pandemic, working from home, virtual classrooms, and an uncertain economy are all contributing factors to these high levels of stress. Higher stress levels combined with social distancing and remote communications can…
Do you ever feel like you are caught in a conflict cycle with someone else? You keep having the same argument, or the same thing is repeated, over and over again with no way out? Conflict resolution practitioners know that when someone keeps repeating themselves – mentioning the same issue,…
Words That Generalize Word choice is often discredited as a major element of good communication, in favor of other elements such as body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice. But the words you use play a crucial role in causing and in resolving conflict. If you introduced your friend…
When I first became a trained mediator in the mid-90s, brainstorming was all the rage. Management journals touted the benefits of hosting in-person, group brainstorming to promote creativity in organizations. Leadership associations sponsored trainings on how to lead visual brainstorming activities in meetings. In fact, mediation course curriculums always included…
Language is a key factor in both causing and resolving conflict. A useful phrase that helps resolve and reduce conflict is “Can you help me understand”. Example: “Can you help me understand how you think that would help our reputation?” It is all too easy to attack another person by…