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ACR Update,
April 2009
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WELCOME TO ACR UPDATE—the monthly e-newsletter sharing important conflict resolution news and organizational updates with ACR members. Your feedback is welcome! |
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To view past issues online, go to: http://www.acrnet.org/publications/acrupdate.htm |
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Upcoming Call for Nominations to the ACR Board of Directors
The call for nominations to the ACR Board of Directors will start on April 10. Nominations will be accepted for the following positions:
President-Elect (Three-year term) Chapters Director (Three-year term) Three At-Large Directors (Three-year terms) One At-Large Director (One-year term)
Further information regarding the nomination process will be sent to members on April 10.
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Family Section Helps Member with UPL Defense Costs
In response to an increasing number of challenges to practicing arbitrators and mediators by local bar associations, ACR’s Workplace and Family Sections established funds to reimburse members for costs incurred in defending against a claim of unauthorized practice of law (UPL). The fund is restricted to ACR members holding the Advanced Practitioner designation, and reimbursement is limited. Recently, the Family Section reimbursed $500 to an AP member accused of the unauthorized practice of law (UPL).
ACR’s new professional liability insurance program with the Pinkham Agency automatically provides UPL and other disciplinary action coverage, including lost billing time when attending hearings. The previous policy through Complete Equity Markets excluded UPL coverage, and members had to buy the coverage as an option for an extra premium. Be sure to check UPL and other disciplinary coverage when getting quotes for renewing your professional liability policy. For a coverage comparison of ACR’s new policy with the former policy, see http://www.acrnet.org/membership/insurance.htm
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The Uniform Mediation Act (UMA) passed the Hawaii Senate as Senate Bill 120, but a companion bill, House Bill 782, was blocked. The UMA provides privilege protections for mediation communications and has been conditionally endorsed by ACR. (See http://www.acrnet.org/uma/ for details on ACR’s endorsement.) To date, the UMA has been adopted in 10 states and the District of Columbia.
The Revised Uniform Arbitration Act has been introduced in Connecticut (HB6628) and Minnesota (SF891). ACR endorses the enactment of the RUAA. See http://www.acrnet.org/lpp/ for details.
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Sharon Press to Be Named Director of Dispute Resolution Institute at Hamline University
ACR member and chair of the Conflict Resolution Day Committee Sharon Press will become director of the Dispute Resolution Institute and associate professor of law at the Hamline University School of Law on July 1. Press is the current director of the Florida Dispute Resolution Center and an adjunct professor at Florida State University College of Law. She has served as guest lecturer at Hamline since 2005.
Press has been the director of the Florida Dispute Resolution Center since 1991. She was associate director from 1988 until her promotion in 1991. She is the recipient of numerous professional awards, including the Mary Parker Follett Award for Excellence and Innovation in Dispute Resolution presented by ACR and the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution’s Special Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Field and Future of Dispute Resolution.
Colleagues on the Florida Supreme Court Committee on ADR Rules and Policy made a donation to ACR’s Conflict Resolution Day initiatives in honor of the leadership demonstrated by Press. Doug Kleine, ACR executive director, acknowledged the donation saying Press’s contributions relating to Conflict Resolution Day and public awareness efforts for the field “…have been tireless and infectious, demonstrating what can be done with volunteer networks. Now with some funds to fortify those efforts, we have an opportunity to multiply the results.”
Press is a Florida Supreme Court certified county and family mediator and currently is on the mediation roster for the Florida Bar Grievance Mediation Program and was previously with the Neighborhood Justice Center in Tallahassee, Florida. Press has co-authored two ADR textbooks: Mediation Theory and Practice, co-authored with J. Alfini, J. Sternlight and J. Stulberg (LexisNexus, 2001, 2006, 2nd ed.) and County Court Mediation: A Mediator's Manual, written with Kimberly Kosch (1999). She has published numerous professional articles and delivered mediation training in a wide variety of settings and locations, including in Amman, Jordan and Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Louise Phipps Senft to Be Inducted into the Circle of Excellence for Maryland’s Top 100 Women
ACR member Louise Phipps Senft, President and CEO of Louise Phipps Senft & Associates/Baltimore Mediation, has been named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women and selected as an inductee into the 2009 Circle of Excellence for sustained achievement. This is the third time Senft has been chosen as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women. She also was recognized in 2004 and 2007. Senft will be honored at an awards ceremony at the Meyerhoff on May 11.
Maryland’s Top 100 Women Award recognizes high-achieving Maryland women who are making an impact through their leadership, community service and mentoring. Senft is known nationally for her elicitive design and delivery of conflict resolution and transformation skills training and mediation for professionals, court systems, companies, contractors, real estate management firms, hospitals, assisted living facilities, higher education and government agencies. Senft, also an attorney, has provided mediation and facilitation services to thousands of individuals in divorce, employment, business, closely held family businesses, trusts and estates and civil litigation. She also is on the faculty at the University of Maryland School of Law and Harvard Law School’s Global Negotiation Insight Initiative. |
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ACR’s 9th Annual Conference
Convening "Whole of Community": Integrating Approaches and Practices to Address Conflicts in a Chaotic World
Hilton Atlanta Atlanta, Georgia October 7 - 10, 2009
Keynote Speaker
Warfield is a reflective practitioner, trained in the area of public administration and public policy, making use of a full range of theory in the analysis of conflicts and various approaches used to manage, mitigate, and resolve such conflicts. He teaches laboratory-simulation, practicum, and theory courses and his field work has involved interventions and training in complex, multi-party conflicts involving communities and organizations in the U.S. and abroad. Along with other ICAR faculty, he has conducted research and training projects in conflict settings in Africa and South America. In the latter case, the focus has been on conflict zones of peace in Colombia.
Warfield is on the editorial board of Negotiations Journal and is also the author of a number of publications in the field of conflict analysis and resolution. He is a past president of the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution (SPIDR) and a member of the Board of Reference of the Conflict Transformation Program, Eastern Mennonite University.
Prior to his affiliation with ICAR, Warfield served as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS). At ACUS, he was responsible for helping federal agencies build alternative dispute resolution processes into their administrative systems, developing and implementing training for government contracting offices, boards of contract appeal judges, administrative law judges and others in the federal sector. Before his work with ACUS, Warfield worked for the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Relations Service holding the positions of Acting Director and Associate Director for Field Coordination in the national office and Acting Regional Director, Deputy Regional Director, and mediator in the New York office.
Before joining the Department of Justice, he served as the Deputy Director of the Lower West Side (New York) Community Corporation and prior to that, he was a street gang worker with the New York City Youth Board.
For more information about the annual conference, click here.
Experience Southern Hospitality We are about six months away from one of the best ACR conferences ever! We in the host city of Atlanta, Georgia, look forward to welcoming you to our vibrant city! Through ACR Update, we plan to present a different topic each month to inform you about Atlanta. The May issue will feature Atlanta’s best restaurants; the June issue will highlight things to do in Atlanta and the surrounding area; the July issue will feature information about the many walking tours in Atlanta; and in the August issue, the Atlanta cultural events with dates and ticket information will be presented. Some of you will be returning guests to Atlanta and some will be first-time visitors. There is much to see and do in Atlanta and the surrounding southeastern environs. We want your stay in Atlanta to be a fun visit and an opportunity for learning. We hope you have “Georgia on Your Mind”!
Atlanta CityPass The Atlanta CityPass is a booklet with tickets to Atlanta’s most popular attractions at nearly 50 percent discounts. The Atlanta CityPass covers nine days and includes: the Georgia Aquarium (with expedited entry); World of Coca-Cola; Zoo Atlanta; Inside CNN Atlanta; an option of either the Fernbank Museum of Natural History or Atlanta Botanical Garden; and also another option of either the High Museum of Art or the Atlanta History Center. This is a very economical way to see many of the favorite attractions of visitors to Atlanta and even if you only use the pass for three or four events, the savings are still significant.
Come early, stay late and visit other attractions beyond Atlanta
To the North:
Helen Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Chattahoochee River, this Northeast Georgia village has a rich history linked to the Cherokee Indians and Indian burial mounds as well as to early settlers who arrived to mine for gold and cut virgin timber for a thriving lumber industry in the early 1900s. Helen is a re-creation of an alpine village complete with cobblestone alleys and old-world towers. Helen has shopping, camping, both rustic and luxury mountain cabins, restaurants, bed and breakfast inns, mountains, theater, recreation, romantic getaways, beautiful scenery, family activities, waterfalls, museums, history, art, fishing, tubing, golf, and more; Something exists for every member of the family. From mid-September through October, during the height of the beautiful fall leaf season, Helen hosts the longest Oktoberfest in the South. (From www.helenga.org)
Dahlonega There is “gold in them thar hills!” You will find out that the first major U.S. gold rush just happened to take place around the Dahlonega area in 1828, some 20 years before California. Dahlonega’s commercial district, including the public square, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Major wineries have discovered the rich, fertile hillsides of Lumpkin County, with others scheduled to open up operation in the future. The creative spirit soars; Dahlonega has evolved into a center for the performing and visual arts in the North Georgia mountains. Recreational activities are available year round including the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail on Springer Mountain. This is another destination for those interested in seeing the beautiful fall leaf color, which will be abundant during the conference dates. (From www.dahlonega.org)
To the South:
Warm Springs Home to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s beloved Little White House, Warm Springs is beautiful in any season. History abounds there with quaint specialty shops housed in 100-year-old buildings! And it is just minutes from your favorite past time - fishing, golfing, hiking, nature trails and more. Take a break...discover Warm Springs! (From www.warmspringsga.com)
Milledgeville Bathed in an intoxicating mixture of magnolia and moonlight, her classic beauty is unsurpassed. Cloaked in mystery and intrigue, her appeal is universal and her attraction undeniable. Like a true southern belle, she perfectly charms treasured guests with fascinating tales, southern delicacies, and gracious hospitality. Meet Milledgeville, the First Lady of Georgia. Her opulent halls have been graced by governors and haunted by ghosts. The legendary first lady has hosted senators and harbored soldiers. Artists and authors have found inspiration in the welcoming embrace of her oak-covered shadows. (From www.milledgevillecvb.com)
Calloway Gardens – Pine Mountain Whether you yearn for a quiet time to take leisurely strolls and spend time just observing your surroundings, or you prefer a full day packed with adventure and discovery, you will find the Gardens to your liking. The natural woodlands and shimmering lakes accented by wildlife and plants too numerous to name set the tone for a quiet experience to relax and inspire you, and at the same time, provide a stunning background for a day of adventure. Fall at Callaway Gardens is a time for exploring and experiencing the delights of nature. Embrace the colors of fall with family fun and seasonal festivities. Join those at Callaway Gardens for the Autumn Fest. Flights of fancy await you in the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center, where 1,000 tropical butterflies, representing more than 50 different species, flutter freely through the air. Tropical plants and birds, reside peacefully with the colorful winged jewels in North America’s largest, glass-enclosed tropical conservatory. The award-winning film, “On Wings of Wonder,” plays continuously on two wide-screen monitors in the center’s multi-purpose room, explaining the life cycle of butterflies. (From www.callawaygardens.com)
To the East:
Brunswick and the Golden Isles The Golden Isles comprise a distinct group of islands and towns along the Georgia coast, on the Atlantic Ocean. St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Jekyll Island, Little St. Simons Island, Darien and Sapelo Island, Cumberland Island and Brunswick offer a seaside vacation paradise for tourists the world over. (From http://www.gatewaytothegoldenisles.com)
Savannah “We’re more friendly than formal here in Savannah.” Whoever you are, wherever you are from, Savannah will welcome you with true Southern hospitality, just as it has been welcoming guests since 1733. Hip and historic, robust and refined, Savannah is where you’ll find amazing architecture, spooky cemeteries and rich history—along with global sophistication, funky nightlife and fabulous food. It is where history resonates into the present day, and where memories are still being made. Begin making yours by exploring this site, and please visit soon. (From www.savannahvisit.com)
Miscellaneous:
For the literary buffs out there, there is a brand new exciting opportunity for you to see the homes of many famous 20th century Southern writers along the newly created Southern Literary Trail, a collaboration of 18 towns in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. Twenty-two writers whose works were influenced heavily by their communities were chosen. Some sights are not open to the public and are recognized with a marker, but others are museums welcoming visitors. For a complete list of authors and events, see www.southernliterarytrail.org.
For additional help in planning your visit or if you have questions, you may mail or e-mail the Georgia Chapter at: acrgeorgia@aol.com
See you in Atlanta! - Submitted by Melanie Fisher
Conference Sponsorship and Exhibitor Opportunities This year’s conference will be held in Atlanta, Georgia at the Hilton Atlanta from October 7 - 10, 2009. Be sure to sign up to sponsor, advertise, or exhibit by the due dates to get premier placement and exposure in our pre-conference brochure. Click here to find complete information on all available marketing opportunities.
Sponsorship Opportunities include:
Exhibitor Opportunities include:
Visit the conference web page for advertising, sponsorship, and exhibitor registration forms and detailed information on all marketing opportunities.
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Plan now to celebrate Conflict Resolution Day on Thursday, October 15.
Did you know that Conflict Resolution Day 2008 was celebrated in California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin? It also was celebrated in Canada, France, Israel, Nicaragua and Portugal.
It is never too early to start planning an event, arranging for a proclamation or brainstorming new ways to celebrate the benefits of conflict resolution. Visit www.ACRnet.org/crday to view listings of past events and to view a sample letter requesting a gubernatorial proclamation. Add your event to ACR’s Web site by completing this form. You also can share a proclamation on the ACR Web site by completing this form.
Conflict Resolution Day posters are available in Arabic, English, French, Hebrew, and Japanese. |
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The Search Is On
ACR has gone live with its new membership database and, along with it, has launched an enhanced web interface for the online Member Center. An improved feature is the search mechanism that lets members find their ACR colleagues through the Membership Directory and facilitates visitors’ searches of Advanced Practitioners and Approved Training Programs.
Here are some quick guidelines to help users when searching:
1. Keep your criteria short. It's not necessary to fill in all the blanks. (In fact, it's not necessary to fill in any of the blanks. You can get a complete list of members by leaving all fields empty and then clicking “Search.”)
2. The search tool will give you only what you ask of it. The mechanism works by taking the characters you enter in the search fields and matching them with the corresponding data fields within the membership database. So, spelling a name or city any differently than what is shown in the member record will not get you your desired results.
3. Stretch your search. The keyword field, which searches the history and biography that have been entered by the member in his/her profile, allows you to get creative with your searches. I entered the word “professional” in the keyword field and found more than 15 pages of members who have that word somewhere in the profile. Then, I stretched the criteria within those existing results even further by entering the ACR office zip code (20016). And there I was! (You can also find all staff members online from the links in the online Member Center.)
Be sure to check out the new Member Center and give us your feedback. ACR is continuing to make enhancements and appreciates hearing your comments to make it better.
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The Environment and Public Policy Section will hold its mid-year conference in Denver June 11-13, 2009. For more information, please contact Conference Co-Chairs Michael Elliott (michael.elliott@cao.gatech.edu) or Tamra Pearson d’Estrée (tdestree@du.edu).
The Family Section
Advisory Council (FSAC) expresses thanks to Kathy McCormick for her
service as co-chair of the Membership Council. We are excited to
welcome Paula Trout as the new co-chair of the Membership Council.
Paula will work with Richard Shields, the other co-chair of the
committee, to review applications for Advanced Practitioners and to
develop programs to further benefit Section members.
The Spirituality Section is continuing their monthly teleseminar series, and in April we are excited to have Leigh Ann Roberts and Maureen Fitzgerald speak on the circle process. Their teleseminar is on April 23 at 1 p.m. EDT. May’s speaker will be Diane Hamilton, who will be speaking on May 14 (time to be determined).
On the first Monday of every month, the Spirituality Section holds a tele-meeting where we connect and conduct the business of the Section. Persons interested in joining the call can dial: 1-712-432-1620, code: 962913#. The time is 7:30 a.m. MDT, 9:30 a.m. EDT. If the first Monday is a holiday, we shift the meeting to the following Monday.
The Spirituality Section also is hosting the Section’s party at ACR’s 9th Annual Conference in Atlanta in October. Plans are underway to make this an enjoyable event for everyone!
General Meeting of Workplace Section Was Held on March 31 The Workplace Section held a general membership meeting by teleconference on Tuesday, March 31. In lieu of a mid-year Section conference, the meeting provided members with information on Workplace Section leadership, volunteer, and operations opportunities, as well as a forum for member questions, suggestions, and ideas. If you were unable to attend, it is not too late to contribute! Contact Tri-Chair Susan Conner skconner@verizon.net, or Tri-Chair Vicki Knudsen vknudsen@mt.gov for leadership and volunteer opportunities and general information, or Elections Coordinator Michael McDowell mmcdowell@arbitrationsandmediations.com for information on tri-chair and tri-chair-elect elections. Election application date coming soon!
Workplace Section Teleseminars:
A Conflict Coaching Teleseminar, “Is Process Definition or Standards Necessary for an Organization to Benefit?” will be held on Thursday April 16 from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. EDT.
Please join ACR Workplace Section’s Conflict Coaching Committee and hear Rita Callahan, mediator, facilitator and conflict coach, discuss and explore how conflict coaching fits within a traditional, hierarchical business culture in an organization of more than 15,000 employees. Issues to be discussed include:
• Is it necessary to define a specific Conflict Coaching process? • Who coaches? • What is reported to whom? • Isn’t it all mediation? • What to do with the employees who are not coachable? • What justifies the services?
Rita Callahan of Working It Out is a board member of the Association for Conflict Resolution, an ADR Advanced Practitioner in Workplace Mediation, a Master Trainer in the Conflict Dynamics Profile® instrument and graduate of CoachU. Callahan is currently working with ConEdison to build a conflict competent organization.
Mark your Calendars: On May 12 at noon EDT, Pattie Porter will discuss “Some Conflict Coaching Challenges,” including clients’ resistance to coaching and the ‘blame game.’
For further information on the Conflict Coaching Committee, please contact the Chair, Cinnie Noble at cinnie@cinergycoaching.com, 416-686-4247, or 866-335-6466 (toll-free).
The Monthly Teleseminar Series will focus on Workplace Diversity with guest speaker Ben Reese on April 28 from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. EDT.
More detailed information about these programs and call-in numbers will be sent to Workplace Section members. If you are interested and are not a member, please join our Section! Visit our Web site to learn more about the Section and the Teleseminar Series: http://www.mediate.com/acrworkplace/index.cfm
Call for Training Announcements The Workplace Section offers a monthly list of upcoming trainings of interest to workplace dispute resolution professionals. If you wish to make an announcement, please submit your posting by the 21st of the month to Linda Goodman at lgoodman@ihrc.idaho.gov.
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The Arizona Association for Conflict Resolution (AACR) will hold its Annual Meeting and Election of Board of Directors for the 2009-2010 year on May 9 at Phoenix School of Law beginning at 10:00 a.m. followed by an ethics program, lunch and networking until 1:30 p.m. The program is titled, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Lawyers’ Ethical Choices in Negotiation.” Professor Art Hinshaw from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and Professor Jess Alberts from the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at ASU will discuss the results of their recent study of attorney negotiation ethics. Attorney negotiation ethics are the subject of many articles and discussions, but there are no rigorous and well publicized studies of whether attorneys are actually complying with the dictates of the current negotiation ethics framework. To register, contact Susan Bulfinch, AACR president, at sbulfinch@aol.com. For more information on the Chapter, see our Web site: www.mediate.com/acrarizona.
ACR has allocated JAMS Foundation funding to the Central California Chapter to support the Seventh Annual Mediator Appreciation Day on May 19, 2009 at California State University, Fresno, where 1,000 people are expected to attend. The theme this year is “Individual Responsibility & Community Service.”
It may be snowing outside, but we are
thinking about spring!
The New England Chapter of ACR (NE-ACR) will hold its Annual Meeting and Program on April 28 at the Wellesley Public Library, Wakelin Room First Floor, 530 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA:
5:30 – 6:00 p.m.: Refreshments and networking 6:00 – 6:15 p.m.: Annual meeting and election of board of directors 6:15 – 7:30 p.m.: Program
We are pleased to announce that our
speaker for the program will be Robert C. Bordone,
Dispute Systems Design (DSD) involves the creation of a set of processes to help an organization, institution, nation-state, or other set of individuals better manage a particular conflict and/or a continuous stream or series of common and recurring conflicts. Effective dispute systems can minimize the costs of such conflicts, and maximize the benefits.
Please join us for this exciting event. You may register at: www.neacr.org The price is $20 for members, $30 for non-members and $15 for students. For information, contact Arline Kardasis at arline@AgreementResources.com Driving directions can be found at: http://www.wellesleyfreelibrary.org/catalog/page.asp?pn=vir317
The South Carolina Chapter is happy to announce a round of “Meet and Greet” sessions across the state. These sessions are designed to connect our members, develop relationships, and open the doors to our communities. The following sessions are now scheduled:
Columbia, SC - May 7 Greenville, SC - May 13 Charleston, SC - May 21
Please contact Sheri Callahan for more information: Sheri@onthehorizon.net
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Donate Now! You can make donations to ACR's Annual Fund Campaign online. Click here to learn how you can make an important investment in ACR's future.
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Paid Advertisements: Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution 22nd Annual Professional Skills Program; Conflict Coaching Workshop |
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Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution Pepperdine University School of Law 22nd Annual Professional Skills Program June 11-13, 2009 – Malibu, California Features fifteen courses addressing distinct dispute resolution processes. Participants engage in three days (eighteen hours) of intensive skills instruction and practice.
Mediating the Litigated Case August 10-15, 2009 – Malibu, California A sophisticated six-day (forty-two hour) program for experienced litigators, in-house counsel, and other practitioners. Professionals can study the mediation of litigated cases either to become a mediator or to be a better advocate.
East Coast Professional Skills Program Co-sponsored with Vermont Law School October 15-17, 2009 – Woodstock, Vermont Features eight courses addressing distinct dispute resolution processes. Participants engage in three days (eighteen hours) of intensive skills instruction and practice.
For all of the above Straus programs, contact: Lori Rushford 310.506.6342 / lori.rushford@pepperdine.edu or visit our website for registration costs, course descriptions, faculty bios and to register: http://law.pepperdine.edu/straus/training_and_conferences
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CONFLICT COACHING WORKSHOP Conflict coaching is a specialized niche in the field of coaching and conflict management. It is a one-on-one technique, in which a trained coach assists people to manage their disputes and to enhance their conflict management skills. In this dynamic 4-day workshop participants will gain among other things: working knowledge of the CINERGY® model of conflict coaching; information about the application of this technique; and suggested documents and information about the logistics of conflict coaching. For dates of training in Santa Barbara, CA; Arlington, VA; Toronto and Ottawa, Canada; Australia; and Ireland, contact Cinnie Noble or her assistant Laureen McNeill at: Phone: 416-686-4247, Toll free: 1-866-335-6466, Email: cinnie@cinergycoaching.com. |
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Advertise in ACR Update! Reach 5,500+ conflict resolution enthusiasts with your advertising message. A 10-line, 100-word, text ad costs just $150! For more information, contact ACR at tlankford@acrnet.org. |
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Encourage your colleagues and friends to join the Association for Conflict Resolution! Enjoy immediate benefits for you and your friends. Go to www.ACRnet.org and click “Join Now.” |
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As an ACR member, you are automatically subscribed to ACR Update. To unsubscribe from ACR Update, send an e-mail to membership@acrnet.org, or log on to the Online Member Center. |
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Association for Conflict Resolution |