Resolution Strategies | A Monthly E-Newsletter
DEAL OR NO DEAL
On those few occasions – okay, more than a few occasions – when I indulge in the guilty pleasure of watching “Deal or No Deal,” I’m always fascinated by the contestants’ decision-making process when offered the choice of either accepting a large sum of money or opening another briefcase, knowing [...]
ALGEBRAIC NEGOTIATION: “X + WHY > X”
Forgive the title, but I’ve been helping my son study for his Algebra II course the last few days and it suddenly struck me that the inherent logic of algebra might be a clever way to both illustrate and emphasize the power of “why” in the negotiating process. [...]
SOME RULES OF THUMB TO KEEP IN MIND
It’s 10:30 p.m., and the parties have finally agreed to a settlement. Having spent more than twelve hours in mediation, everyone is exhausted. Not wanting to take even more time to prepare a handwritten settlement agreement, the decision is made to quit for the evening and document the settlement [...]
EVEN WITHOUT SETTLEMENT, MEDIATION CAN BE INVALUABLE
Looking back at the hundreds of mediations in which I’ve participated, first as advocate and now as mediator, I can only think of a handful that may not have been worth the time and expense invested. That’s not to suggest that nearly every mediation resulted in a global settlement before the part [...]