Category Archives: Mediation

Your Blood Pressure May Kill Your Deal

Let’s face it.  During some negotiations, you may get angry at the other sideyou’re your blood pressure may go up.  The problem with that blood pressure is that it is not only bad for your heart, but it is also bad for your ability to negotiate effectively.  According to a Clemson University researcher, your ability [...] Continue reading

Posted in anger, blood pressure, clemson, dampening, emotion, James A. McCubbin, Mediation, negotiation, Pyschological Research and negotiations | Comments Off

Are You a Nibbler? Pay Close Attention if you Are.

Are You a Nibbler? Now I am not referring to your eating habits.  Instead, I am wondering about your negotiation tactics.  A nibble is when at the end of the deal, you ask for a little something more.  This little something generally doesn’t have huge value in relation to the entire deal.  For example, in [...] Continue reading

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Let’s Make A Deal With Bubble Gum

  Want to become smarter, even if only for a little bit.  Well, I have the answer for you.  Chew some gum. Recently a study found that people who chew gum before testing on a subject increased their cognitive function.  The study showed that the increase in brain power, however, lasted only for 15 minutes. [...] Continue reading

Posted in benefit, bubble, creative, gum, increase, Mediation, negotiation, Pyschological Research and negotiations, research, study, thinking | Comments Off

Atheists, Trustworthy or Not?

  In litigation, one of the biggest unstated principles is whether the plaintiff or defendant is trustworthy.  In other words, are they credible.  Well a new study revealed some interesting news about whether religion affects the trustworthiness of a person. According to a new study conducted at the University of British Columbia, distrust is key [...] Continue reading

Posted in atheist, credibility, distrust, litigation, Mediation, religious, trust, trusthworthy | Comments Off

We hear the other side’s words, but how well are we really listening?

I’ve been struck by several situations in which one party to a conversation or discussion obviously was listening to what was being said, but it was equally obvious that the listener wasn’t really hearing what was being said Continue reading

Posted in Collaborative Law, Collaborative Mediation, Collaborative Processes, Dispute Resolution Advocacy, Dispute Resolution Counsel, Family Law and Divorce, Mediation | Comments Off

10 Thanksgiving Survival Tips From A Mediator

By Steven G. Mehta I want to wish everyone a Happy And Blessed Thanksgiving.   However, not all Thanksgiving Experiences are happy and blessed.  For those of you who may be worried about having the less than perfect thanksgiving, I thought I would give you some Mediation Thanksgiving Tips to Help you with that Challenging Family [...] Continue reading

Posted in argument, dysfunctional, family, holiday, Mediation, social science, solutions, suggestion, thanksgiving, tips | Comments Off

Major Mistakes In Mediation Briefs

By Steven G. Mehta It is never ceases to fascinate me that there are so many styles of providing mediation briefs.  Recently, I   received a brief that screamed “I don’t want to do this case.” As a result, I thought I might give some of the biggest mistakes in mediation briefs.   Don’t Know Your [...] Continue reading

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What Grade is Your Settlement?

By Steven G. Mehta Many times when parties to mediation talk about the settlement value of a case, they talk about one number.  The case should settle for $100,000, or $50,000, or whatever number is at issue.  However, all too often that single number is a flawed method of helping you to figure out the [...] Continue reading

Posted in a, amount, b, c, calculate, d, f, grades, identify, Mediation, negotiate, negotiation, preparation, range, settlement, value, values | Comments Off

Collaborative Law: High energy, out of the box legal creativity

International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) held its 12th annual Forum. As always, this Forum was an amazing event, four days of insightful, profound and transformative thought in the legal profession. Continue reading

Posted in Collaborative Law, Collaborative Mediation, Collaborative Processes, Dispute Resolution Resources, Family Law and Divorce, Mediation | Comments Off

How To Receive Criticism

By Steven G. Mehta There comes a time in every mediator, litigator or person’s life when somebody that you have a relationship with — whether it be business or personal — gives you criticism.  How you react can make a huge difference. The criticism I speak of is not criticism that you know is coming [...] Continue reading

Posted in argument, care, caring, criticism, critique, giving, handle, how to, Mediation, mindfulness, negotiation, receiving | Comments Off