I recently left a mediation with this song playing in my brain. The mediation did not end in a signed agreement… and that’s okay. One of the parties was absolutely not ready to complete the division of their property. “She does not deserve anything!” he repeated. “She had an affair!” My co-mediator and I would… Continue Reading
Browsing CategoryEmpathy
Empathy Matters
In his article about the terrorist attacks on Mumbai’s historic Taj Hotel, Alix Spiegel shares that the employees risked their lives to care for the safety and security of the guests. It was not just one employee, but “dozens of workers — waiters and busboys, and room cleaners who knew back exits and paths through… Continue Reading
The Power of Apology
A relationship becomes easier when you realize that you don’t have to be the one at fault to be the one who’s sorry. ~Robert Brault I was recently facilitating a mediation with a lovely couple who had several years of conflict under their belts… big conflicts involving Orders of Protection and such. I spent about… Continue Reading
Empathy
I recently mediated a case and was so struck by the parties’ need for empathy. They both wanted the exact same thing but and struggled to come up with the details of how to make it happen. Their past hurts were sitting in the middle of the table like a neon sign creating a wall… Continue Reading
Unlikely Friends?
Yesterday I saw this video on Facebook about the friendship of an elephant and a dog who live at The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. According to the story, the retired elephants enter the sanctuary one by one, but they find a partner and live out their lives two by two. That statement alone made… Continue Reading
Empathy Defined
One of the foundational skills of Nonviolent Communication is empathy. Empathy is connecting to feelings and needs through listening, watching and noticing what someone is saying, feeling, and doing. Sometimes it is referred to as “listening with understanding.” What does this mean? It means to hear the thoughts and attitudes from the other person’s point… Continue Reading
