Mediation, Communication, Leadership, and Advocacy Skills Training

For mediators at any level, from those just starting out to experienced practitioners looking to sharpen specific techniques. We offer two full training programs as well as shorter tailored programs designed around an organization's specific needs and audience.

Our 40-hour basic mediation training provides the foundation needed to become a mediator, covering core process, skills, and ethics. Our 40-hour advanced mediation training is designed for experienced mediators who want to deepen their practice and tackle more complex challenges. For organizations, courts, educational institutions, or other groups, we design shorter targeted programs that draw from our full curriculum and focus on the skills most relevant to their context.

We teach not just what to do but why it works, including the science behind how people process conflict and make decisions, how to read what is happening in the room, and how tone, timing, and framing change what parties hear and how they respond. Participants leave better equipped to handle difficult situations, manage high-stakes emotions, and keep the process moving.

Topics we draw from: Opening Statements, Caucus Techniques, Overcoming Impasse, Negotiation Styles, Neuroscience and Decision-Making, High-Stakes Emotions, Nonverbal Communication, Reframing for Constructive Engagement, Mediator Ethics, Virtual Mediation.

Disagreement and difficult conversations are inevitable. The question is whether they lead to better decisions or broken relationships. This program gives teams and organizations the practical skills to navigate conflict constructively, use disagreement as a catalyst for better thinking, and build the trust that makes collaboration possible. Participants learn why conflict escalates, how our brains respond under pressure, and why how something is said often matters more than what is said. They leave with tools they can use the next day in real conversations.

Topics we draw from: Difficult Conversations, Building Trust, Cognitive Biases, The Art of Inquiry, Delivering Difficult News, Constructive Engagement, Durable Change.

Strong leaders do not avoid conflict, they know how to work through it. This program gives leaders and senior teams the skills to drive accountability, build trust, and communicate effectively under pressure. Participants learn how to intervene early, manage change, and create cultures where people do their best work. They leave with a clearer understanding of how their own communication style affects the people and organizations they lead.

Topics we draw from: Leadership Under Pressure, Managing Change, Feedback and Accountability, Building High-Trust Teams, Early Conflict Intervention, Crucial Influence.

Knowing how to litigate is not the same as knowing how to use mediation strategically. This program is designed specifically for lawyers and advocates who want to maximize outcomes for their clients at the mediation table. Participants learn how mediators think, how to prepare clients effectively, how to frame issues to create movement, and how the way they communicate in the room with the mediator, opposing counsel, and their own client shapes what is possible. They leave with a sharper, more strategic approach to every mediation they handle.

Topics we draw from: Using Mediation to Maximize Bargaining Strategy, Preparing Clients for Settlement, Delivering Difficult News to Clients, Legal Bargaining, Mediation Ethics.

We have designed and delivered training programs internationally, working with governments, courts, and organizations to build mediation capacity, develop national certification curricula, and strengthen dispute resolution systems. We understand the unique challenges of delivering training across cultures and contexts and adapt our approach accordingly.
Learn More