Call for Presenters: World Mediators' Conference

The World Mediators' Conference is seeking co-panelists for the event on 13 June 2022 (8pm India time/10:30am EDT/9:30am CDT/8:30amMST/7:30am PST). The theme is Mediation Vision 2026: Evolution of Mediators & Mediation. It's a free and open forum for anyone to join for a conversation. Ken Cloke is the keynote speaker for the conference. The organizer, Vikram Singh, hopes Ombuds can clarify their work for mediators (acknowledging the different types of Ombuds). 

IOA Releases Detailed Agenda for 2022 Virtual Conference

For the second year in a row, the International Ombudsman Association will hold its annual conference virtually. IOA's 17th annual meeting will take place April 4 through 6, 2022. Social events will use Gather.town, a virtual world with video features. Registration has been open for a few weeks and now the detailed agenda has been posted.

UC Davis to Host Conversation with Ken Cloke

In celebration of Ombuds Day, the Ombuds Office at the University of California Davis is hosting a Q&A style webinar for Ombuds and other conflict management practitioners featuring Ken Cloke, internationally renowned author, mediator, and conflict management consultant. Designed as a professional development opportunity for Ombuds to learn from the decades of experience of a seasoned conflict resolution practitioner, this webinar will be a moderated discussion exploring Cloke’s strategies and techniques when mediating and consulting with individuals and organizations. 

Participation Surges for Second Annual Ombuds Day

The number of organizations participating in the second annual celebration will at least double the number last year. The celebration of the Ombuds profession (and all its variants) on October 10, 2019 is organized by the American Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Section Ombuds Committee. 

ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Devotes Newsletter to Ombuds Issues

The Ombuds Committee has sponsored the latest edition of the ABA DRS Just Resolutions newsletter. An introduction by Ombuds Committee Chair Chuck Howard explains, "[W]e have assembled six articles for your review that will give you a better sense of the breadth and utility of ombuds programs. These articles reflect the good work that is being done by our committee members and are worth reading by everyone with an interest in dispute resolution."

Ombuds of Texas Cancels February Meeting

The Texas Ombuds group will not hold its scheduled meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, February 8, 2011. The guest speaker, Ken Cloke is unable to attend that day due to expected weather conditions in the Dallas area. The next OOT meeting is scheduled for May 11. (Ombuds of Texas.)

Ombuds of Texas to Start Mentoring Program

The Ombuds of Texas will meet February 9, 2011, at the Southern Methodist University Legacy Campus in Plano. The group will kickoff a confidential mentoring program to match for developing Ombuds with experienced practitioners. The meeting will also feature two speakers: Ken Cloke, a well-known author of several conflict resolution books; and Gary Robinson, the director for the SMU Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management graduate program. (Ombuds of Texas Meeting Agenda and Calendar.)

Petition Urges Creation of Cabinet Level Ombuds

Mediator, author and director of the Center for Dispute Resolution, Kenneth Cloke is sponsoring an online petition calling on President Obama to add conflict resolution to the national agenda. Cloke's five-point proposal asks Obama to take the following steps:

1. Create a cabinet level ombudsman office or department of peace and consensus building to work proactively to prevent and minimize conflicts;
2. Build mediation, consensus building, diversity, and democratic conflict resolution processes into every proposal for change, whether domestic or international;
3. Invite representatives of international institutions, governments, and community organizations to attend a conference to discuss how to improve conflict resolution competencies and encourage collaborative problem solving around the world;
4. Request that the United Nations initiate a global effort to train diplomats and national representatives in conflict resolution, and incorporate in all treaties a clause requiring signatories to mediate and arbitrate disputes; and
5. Initiate a program and a fund to support conflict resolution professionals in serving in trouble spots around the world and help people prevent, resolve and recover from conflict.

(Online Petition, via MediationChannel.com.)

Related posts: Obama and the Future of the ADR Profession; Federal Observers Hope for New Era of Government Openness and Accountability; How Systems Resist Change.

Ombuds Occupy Place on Bridge Between Psychology and Conflict Resolution

Mediator Kenneth Cloke observes that Ombuds and associated ADR professionals provide “brief therapy,” where the border separating conflict resolution from psychological intervention has become indistinct. He argues for a more integrated, multidisciplinary approach to conflict resolution.

While it is, of course, both necessary and vital that we recognize the key differences between the professions of psychology and conflict resolution, it is more necessary and vital, especially in these times, that we recognize their essential similarities, collaborate in developing creative new techniques, and invite them to learn as much as they can from each other.

Cloke's philosophical arguments cannot be adequately summarized here, but are relevant to Organizational Ombuds. (Mediate.com.)

Related post: How Systems Resist Change.

Books for an Ombuds Library

Diane Levin at the Mediation Channel posts about print and online resources for mediators and negotiators. Her list of books would be a good place to start when building an Ombuds Office library.

Mediation, Conflict Resolution, and Consensus-Building

• Mediating Dangerously: The Frontiers of Conflict Resolution, by Kenneth Cloke
• The Promise of Mediation: The Transformative Approach to Conflict, by Robert A. Baruch Bush and Joseph P. Folger
• The Dynamics of Conflict Resolution: A Practitioner’s Guide, by Bernard Mayer
• The Mediator’s Handbook, by Jennifer Beer (for new mediators)
• The Power of a Positive No: How to Say NO and Still Get to Yes, by William Ury
• Breaking Robert’s Rules: The New Way to Run Your Meeting, Build Consensus, and Get Results, by Lawrence E. Susskind and Jeffrey L. Cruikshank

Negotiation

• Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People, by G. Richard Shell
• Negotiation Genius: How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond, Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman
• The Negotiator’s Fieldbook, edited by Andrea Kupfer Schneider and Christopher Honeyman
• Ask for It: How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want, by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever
• Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate, by Daniel Shapiro and Roger Fisher

Decision-Making, Influence, and the Mind

• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini
• Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, by Dan Ariely
• A Mind of Its Own: How Your Brain Distorts and Deceives, by Cordelia Fine

She also has a great collection of links to online resources in these areas. (MediationChannel.com.)

Related post: Ombuds Libraries.

How Systems Resist Change

Ombuds regularly learn of systemic problems and urge organizational changes. Vickie Pynchon, who writes the Settle It Now negotiation blog, is sharing thoughts on Ken Cloke's presentation to the Founding Congress of Mediators Beyond Borders on 12 Ways Systems Resist Change. Cloke categorizes resistance in the following categories:

1. Marginalization;
2. Negative Framing;
3. Exaggeration;
4. Personalization;
5. Sentimentalization;
6. Seduction;
7. Alignment;
8. Legitimization;
9. Simplification;
10. False Polarization;
11. Selective Repression;
12. Double Binds.

This is an excellent framework for ombuds to consider. (Settle It Now.)