As children we get a lot of messages to keep quiet. As a result, many of us skid into adulthood, slam into relationship walls, and find ourselves speechless. Either we never developed good communication habits or we’ve learned to deal with our emotions by silently shutting down. Learning to talk as babies can be far easier than finding our voices later in life.
This summer’s Conflict Resolution Quarterly, featuring multiple articles on mediator neutrality and power, arrived at my office at the perfect time…right on the heels of an interesting mediator discussion on neutrality at our courthouse “brown bag” meeting. Every month ten or more mediators gather to talk about our experiences, with the goal of sharing information and learning from one another. At our last meeting…