For mediators who see it as their job to get a deal done, it's unthinkable to mediate for friends, especially if the mediator is closer to one party than the other.  But mediators who commit to being supportive of both parties find it much easier to work with friends.  Hey, if you wouldn't treat your friends like mediation clients, maybe you aren't treating your clients right! Read the article…

In the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation's latest blog post, 5 reasons are suggested for why it's so hard for mediators to live up to the ideal of party self-determination.  You can read it here.

This new blog post, available here, challenges a belief held by many mediators.  Many mediators believe they can adjust their approach according to whether the interaction between the parties is important or not.  This blog argues that all conflict, regardless of the subject, is about interaction at its core. 

Virtual Mediation Lab (VML) helps mediators practice their craft.  I recently had the pleasure of conducting a mediation by Skype with the help of Giuseppe Leone and his VML.   You can read about it and see the video here.

Professor Rachel Monaco-Wilcox of Mount Mary University reviewed Transformative Mediation:  A Sourcebook and found that it was accessible to non-mediators and helpful to anyone interested in conflict.  You can read her whole review in my latest blog entry here.

• The University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies is running its 4^thAnnual Summer Institute for Faculty in Peace Studies Program Development from June 10-15, 2012.
• Twitter defended its recently announced…