From Conflict to Cooperation: How to Mediate a Dispute [Paperback]

Potter (Author), Phil Frank (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Throughout the country, legal dispute mediation is rapidly growing as a cost-effective and sometimes required alternative, or at least a preliminary, to the courtroom settlement of disputes. Human relations expert Potter (Finding a Path with a Heart: How To Go from Burnout to Bliss, Ronin, 1994) has produced a superb guide to mediating disputes that will appeal to many readers, including managers, teachers, parents, and especially those directly involved in mediation such as law enforcement agents and attorneys. Potter's focus here is to give the mediator pragmatic, step-by-step approaches to gathering information, controlling the opposing parties, using active listening and body language, and making a decision about the dispute. This excellent source can serve as a basic training manual for those involved in mediating disputes, and the extensive array of real-life examples of typical scripts that may play out in such situations helps further to clarify these ideas. Developed with business and academic involvement, Potter's handbook is highly recommended, especially for libraries in communities with dispute-resolution centers.?Dale Farris, Groves, Tex.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Conflict is not necessarily bad," says bestselling author Beverly Potter. "In fact," she continues, "conflict can be a catalyst for creating interactions that are more satisfying." Realizing this hidden opportunity requires that disputes be handled skillfully, and Potter's well-written, whimsically illustrated manual shows the way. It covers all aspects of dispute resolution-from furniture arrangement and body posture to appropriate techniques of questioning. Numerous scenarios are described and interpreted to aid readers in developing effective resolution skills. It's a valuable addition to the library of any person-business manager, teacher, parent, community leader-who wants to blind more harmonious relationships. -- NAPRA Review, Vol. 8, NO. 1, 1997

>From Conflict To Cooperation: How To Mediate A Dispute presents effective techniques for resolving disputes. These are powerful tools for all managers, supervisors, coaches, parents, teachers, neighborhood leaders, police officers, and anyone caught in the middle of other people's disputes. Beverly Potter shows how effective mediators can pull people together to produce creative solutions. Uniquely oriented to the mediator rather than the disputant, From Conflict To Cooperation is a guide containing the keys to building cohesiveness and avoiding the plummeting morale, burnout, and reduced productivity that result from animosities that are not handled effectively. This is a sensible manual showing how to intervene to control hostility while uncovering each party's perspective on the issues involved. It then demonstrates how to mediate an agreement on what should be done, who should do it, and when. With hands-on methods and realistic scenarios adapted from police training designed to handle domestic disputes, and techniques developed at a number of university and corporate environments, From Conflict To Cooperation shows how conflict can be an opportunity, control disputants and avoid outbursts, set a problem solving tone, uncover the nature and scope of the dispute, interview angry people and keep them on track, get disputants to solve their own problems, what to do if mediation fails, and what to do if you yourself are a disputant. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Ronin Publishing; 1 edition (February 26, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0914171798
• ISBN-13: 978-0914171799
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,459,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clearly written book on the basics of mediation., November 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: From Conflict to Cooperation: How to Mediate a Dispute (Paperback)

Dr. Potter provides clearly written instructions and examples for tackling the problems associated with the process of mediation. She includes nonverbal language as well as advice on the physical arrangement of the room. Included is a chapter on how to behave when you are the disputant. I would recommend this book for those involved in a dispute at the office, in the home, or among friends.

4.0 out of 5 stars a practical book on mediation, March 15, 2006

By 

Jeffrey Leeper "kem2070" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Conflict to Cooperation: How to Mediate a Dispute (Paperback)

In this book, anyone wanting to master the skills of mediation would to well to be familiar with this book. It gives a lot of specific guidance and tips that can be easily incorporated into your mediation style.

For instance, the book discusses how to set up the seating of the mediation. It tells you where the parties should sit as well as where the mediator should sit in relation to them. Rather than just telling the reader, the author continues to explain why this method of seating works better than the others.

The author makes other use of this kind of explanation. She explains body language and phrasing of questions. Not only are there illustrations of this, but she also has dialogues that demonstrate what she means. She also highlights how things can go wrong. Since these dialogues are based in hypothetical business or family situations, the reader is likely to relate.

If I had to have a problem with the book, it would be with proofreading. There are quite a few typographical errors in the book. For me, it got a little distracting, but the information in the book is worth it nonetheless.

I would recommend this book for help in improving mediation skills.

1.0 out of 5 stars Gotta Keep 'Em Separated, January 10, 2003

By 

Dwight Ellsworth (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Conflict to Cooperation: How to Mediate a Dispute (Paperback)

In my opinion, this was the single lousiest book I have ever read on the subject of conflict resolution. This text is so blatantly in favor of pointless hostility, in my view, that I suspect the author is probably not capable of making it past her own porch without getting in a screaming fight with the neighbors. (And probably stands around in her backyard in a bathrobe screaming at them, too.) In fact, the whole thing seems to have been written by somebody who would prefer to incessantly call the police and file lawsuits against the neighbors than "mediate" a dispute with them. I think it should have been called "Sue Thy Neighbor."