Gini Nelson’s Engaging Conflicts

Kenneth Cloke’s The Crossroads of Conflict: A Journey Into the Heart Of Dispute Resolution, is a book by an experienced mediator about many things, including his conclusions after many years of a rich and varied practice. Ken’s interview begins in the next issue of Engaging Conflicts Today, and he has given permission to excerpt portions of his book here — sign up for the newsletter today through the sidebar on the right!

Here’s part of his list of explanations why we get stuck in conflict, of distinct yet indivisible locations of conflict (at 71), and some suggested mediation techniques for each “by location” (at 78-85):

1. In our physical bodies, where stress is internalized and translated into chemicals that prepare us for aggression or defense (physical techniques that pay attention to body language, physical movement, and sensory awareness, such as using body language to counteract aggressive or defensive postures).

2. In our minds, where distinctions and judgments are formed that bolster our positions and justify aggressive or defensive reactions (mental techniques that resolve conflicts mentally, logically, sequentially, and intellectually, such as contracting and agreeing to work toward solutions).

I’ll be posting the rest over the next few days. Ken’s book can be purchased directly from his publisher, Janis Publications, here: http://www.janispublications.com.

Note: The book is also available at your local libraries and bookstores, and online through my Amazon.com link in the right-hand sidebar.