ADR News & Announcements

Conflict Resolution Day Alberta is supported by a collaboration of the Provincial Government's Dispute Resolution Network (DRN) and non-profit ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) organizations from across Alberta. 

The theme this year is THE ART OF LISTENING. 

Below you will find links to register for the free workshop: The Art of Listening as well as activities, articles, videos, podcasts and more!

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Free Online Workshop: The Art of Listening

Thu Oct 15th 12:00pm - 1:30pm
by the Alberta Conflict Resolution Day Committee 

What communication skill could be more basic than listening? We spend more time listening than any activity except breathing, yet we listen at only a fraction of our potential. We believe ourselves good listeners but what if we could improve? The complimentary workshop will teach seven “Laws of Good Listening” and will illustrate the surprising value of attentive silence, the need to find something of interest in the person speaking, the importance of staying out of the speaker’s way, and the role of body language in listening. Each “law” is a key toward improved listening and communication and you will leave with practical skills that you can implement immediately to improve your communications with others!

Online Resources, Activities & Media

Listening Self-Assessment
Test your listening skills, and use the results to find out how you can become a better listener

Ted Talk: William Ury on Listening
William Ury explains how listening is the essential, and often overlooked, half of communication. He asks us to join a listening revolution, and promises that if we all just listen a little bit more, we can transform any relationship.

Ted Talk: Celeste Headlee on 10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation When You're Having a Hard Time
Celeste Headlee has worked as a radio host for decades, and she knows the ingredients of a great conversation: Honesty, brevity, clarity and a healthy amount of listening.

Article: “Active Listening, suitable for 9-18 year olds,”
Tips to improve communication with teens using active listening.

Article: “Active Listening in the Classroom, an Important Motivational Strategy”, by Melissa Kelly
This article outlines the importance of using active listening to support students' motivation to learn.

Article: “Active Listening, Essentials for Parenting Toddlers and Preschoolers,” Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
Tips and strategies for parents and their young children.

Featured Podcast: The Space Between with Dr. Tammy Lenski
A conflict resolution blog + podcast about turning our difficult conversations into some of our best conversations at work and home.

Featured Podcast: How Can I Say This...with Beth Buelow
Find ideas about how to handle your communication conundrums; opportunities to learn from real-life situations through questions shared by listeners; and ultimately, gain skills and techniques for dealing with sticky situations at work and home. 

Video: Quick Tips to Active Listening
Watch this video for some great tips and tricks to take your active listening skills into your day-to-day life!

The requirements of social distancing have accelerated the use of technology as an alternative to holding in person hearings.  Learn practical tips for setting up and conducting a hearing using video conferencing.  The virtual hearing will likely develop into one of the procedural alternatives at the disposal of an administrative decision maker.   Having the flexibility and confidence to hold virtual hearings will give tribunals another way to offer cost effective and timely resolution of disputes. 

Presenters:

Carol Zukiwski, LL.B, Q.Arb - Carol’s practice is primarily focused on assisting municipalities and the provincial assessor with property assessment complaints and appeals. Carol also serves as counsel to administrative tribunals helping them with determining a fair hearing procedure and with decision writing. She appears regularly before the Municipal Government Board, Composite Assessment Review Boards and before the Court of Queen’s Bench. Carol has been on the staff of two Boards and a member of two additional Boards. She is also an instructor with the Foundation of Administrative Justice, and is appointed to the Payment In Lieu of Taxes Federal Tribunal.

Adrian Wright, CTAJ - Adrian is a long time lawyer, adjudicator, and mediator. He worked for many years in the Northwest Territories.  He now lives on the West Coast. He has adjudicated claims of sexual abuse and physical abuse involving Indian Residential School survivors in the Indian Residential Schools Independent Assessment Process as well as decided and mediated human rights complaints for the Human Rights Adjudication Panel of the Northwest Territories.

He has advised and represented:

• • Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in registration, professional conduct, and other cases
  • Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut

He has decided cases, advised decision makers, and both challenged and defended administrative decisions in court. He is now both the Curriculum Development Coordinator and an instructor for the Foundation of Administrative Justice. 

National Indigenous Peoples Day is a day for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. The Canadian Constitution recognizes these three groups as Aboriginal peoples, also known as Indigenous peoples.

In honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day, take part in one of the many events happening online, check out some reading lists or visit a museum virtually!

You can also watch the recording of our June ADR Luncheon Webinar linked below.

Watch Ry Moran, Director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation discuss the important work of this organization.

Below is the recording for our free webinar on May 20, 2020 called What is Conflict Management Coaching and How is it Being Used in the DR Field?

Conflict Management  Coaching  (aka conflict coaching) has grown exponentially in the ADR field, and  provides a  methodology that assists people to independently manage their interpersonal disputes, or to more confidently engage in mediation and other DR process. In this hour-long webinar Cinnie Noble - a pioneer of this process -  will further define this specialized conflict management process and discuss its applications in the field of ADR. Registrants will  also hear:

• what the discipline of coaching is and what it is not
• why conflict management coaching was developed
• why mediators and lawyers find the process to be a useful technique to add to their toolboxes
• examples of real situations and how conflict coaching was used

Presenter:

Cinnie Noble  -  a former lawyer  -  is a Certified Mediator and a Professional Certified Coach. In 1999, after extensive experiential research, she developed the CINERGY model of Conflict Management Coaching, and since then has provided coaching and training worldwide, in this unique model, to mediators, coaches and lawyers. Cinnie is the author of two coaching books- Conflict Mastery: Questions to Guide You and Conflict Management Coaching: The CINERGY™ Model. More information may be found on www.cinergycoaching.com

We now have two ways to take our Communications in ADR course!

This course will introduce students to the causes and effects of interpersonal conflict, with particular emphasis on the dynamics of conflict, conflict resolution styles and the cycle of conflict.
 

In-person: 

Six days - 40 credit hours, part 1 is three days and part 2 is three days. Students will have nightly homework, including readings and role play preparation.

Upcoming Dates:
Part 1: July 7-9, 2020 (Tues-Thurs)
Part 2: July 14-16, 2020 (Tues-Thurs)

Cost: $2200

Details & Registration

Online: 

12 sessions - 40 credit hours. Students will engage in blended online learning (synchronous and asynchronous). In addition to the group sessions, students will have approximately 3-4 hours of reading and homework per week to prep for the group sessions and role-play. 

Upcoming Dates:
Begins July 21, 2020
See Full Course Schedule

Cost:
Early Bird registration (paid by July 2): $1900 + GST
Regular Registration (paid after July 2): $2000 + GST

Details & Registration

Last Chance to Register: June 12th

Mediators, and allied professionals, working with parties involved in potentially high conflict mediations need to understand and manage complexity, emotional intensity, and challenges that may arise during a mediation.

Using a trauma informed practice perspective, this course prepares mediators to manage aspects of high conflict mediations, including safety screening, dealing with parties experiencing poor mental health, addictions and substance use issues, strong emotions, and challenging behaviours associated with personality disorders. Mediators will be equipped with the tools to determine whether to proceed, and, if so, to mediate what can be high conflict discussions.

This course is designed to be flexible to meet your learning goals. Students can choose to take the 14 hour or 28 hour course.

Option 1: Understanding High Conflict
Hours: 14 credit hours
$750 members, $775 ADRIC affiliate members (non-ADRIA, includes course material courier fee), $850 non-members

Option 2: High Conflict Mediation: Managing Conflict & Complexity in Mediation
Hours: 28 credit hours
$1100 members,  $1125 ADRIC affiliate members (non-ADRIA, includes course material courier fee), $1300 non-members

Dates: 
Option 1 & 2: June 23, June 30, July 7, July 14,
Option 2: + August 11

Registration Deadline: June 12th
Only 15 spots available

Details & Registration

With an opening keynote address from the Honourable Mary Moreau, Chief Justice of Alberta’s Court of Queen’s Bench.

We invite you to attend this year’s Annual General Meeting. In true 2020-style, the AGM will be entirely online through Zoom; we encourage you to bring your own wine & cheese!

Register for the AGM

Recently ADRIA has hosted several webinars and virtual events with great success. We would like to offer more webinars/virtual events of interest to ADR practitioners. 

If you are interested in presenting, we would like to hear from you. Share your expertise in a specific area. Share some of the tools in your ADR toolbox with others in the field. Provide your perspective on a specific topic.

Webinars or virtual events could range from 1-3 hours and are offered at no charge or for a small fee.

Email membership@adralberta.com if you have an idea for a webinar or virtual event you would like to present. Content will need to be approved by ADRIA.

Mediators, and allied professionals, working with parties involved in potentially high conflict mediations need to understand and manage complexity, emotional intensity, and challenges that may arise during a mediation.

Using a trauma informed practice perspective, this course prepares mediators to manage aspects of high conflict mediations, including safety screening, dealing with parties experiencing poor mental health, addictions and substance use issues, strong emotions, and challenging behaviours associated with personality disorders. Mediators will be equipped with the tools to determine whether to proceed, and, if so, to mediate what can be high conflict discussions.

This course is designed to be flexible to meet your learning goals. Students can choose to take the 14 hour or 28 hour course.

Option 1: Understanding High Conflict
Hours: 14 credit hours
$750 members, $850 non-members

Option 2: High Conflict Mediation: Managing Conflict & Complexity in Mediation
Hours: 28 credit hours
$1100 members only

Dates: 
Option 1 & 2: June 23, June 30, July 7, July 14,
Option 2: + August 11

Registration deadline June 9th
Only 15 spots available