TAPM Newsletter

November 2024

Note from the TAPM Board Chair

Dear TAPM Mediators,

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, not only because I love turkey and dressing, also because it reminds me to reflect on the past year and express my gratitude to all who have helped me reach goals, maintain sanity and listened.

This year, I want to express my thanks to the TAPM Board and the TAPM members. The Board has been extremely patient with me as I bumbled into the first few months. We were able to progress on plans to keep TAPM relevant in a changing world.

Kim Best has been an active leader and recruiter for our plentiful educational programs. She makes it look easy as she brings us talented and interesting speakers. Russell Gordon has taken off in his role as Vice President and has provided leadership for the Board when I’ve been unavailable. Our financial team, Karen Phillips and Regina Newson, have been diligently accounting for our expenditures and finding ways to reduce costs. Marc Harwell has provided us with countless hours of contract review as we navigate our website. Our new members, Merry Brown and Sonja Walton, have been active with the board and have breathed new life and enthusiasm into our work. Beth Tarter has been a cheerleader for TAPM, even when she’s not able to participate.

Each of you, our TAPM members, have participated in our educational offerings, and other events. I am always so impressed by the questions for our speakers, and enjoy learning from each of you.

And, many thanks to Jen Comiskey, our fearless and tireless, hardworking Administrator. If you don’t already know, Jen has many talents and skills. She works behind the scenes to make sure each of you receive invitations to events, timely newsletters, and accurate CME/CLE credit for our educational offerings in addition to many other daily, weekly and monthly tasks.

Our TAPM team is what makes my role so lovely. I have the honor and pleasure to be a part of this diverse and special peacemaking community.

As a Family mediator, I have daily reminders of how important listening is. Really listening. Not listening with an ear to respond. Listening without judgment. Hearing pain. Being open to someone’s values. When a mediation ends, my favorite complement is “thanks for listening.”

Thank you for listening (reading) and making TAPM successful!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Robin Wheeler

“Do something wonderful. People may imitate it.” 

-Albert Schweitzer

How Have You Benefited from TAPM?

We need your help in our membership campaign to reach all Tennessee mediators. Your experience can inspire others to join TAPM.

Please share your answer to the question, “How have you benefited from your TAPM membership?” You can do this in one of the following ways:

1. Make a 30 to 60-second video and post it on LinkedIn, tagging TAPM.
2. Send us a 30 to 60-second video, and we'll share it on our social media.
3. Send us a 40–80 word statement, and we'll post it on our social media.

Let’s spread the good word to all Tennessee mediators! Email submissions to jen.comiskey@2mediate.org.

Thanks to Everyone Who Attended Our October and November Speaker Series Events!

On October 7th, TAPM Speaker Series hosted Inely Cesna, who presented "Mediation and Psychology: Insights from the Enneagram." This one-hour presentation discussed the implications of the Enneagram Model of Human Psychology, focusing on its nine distinct human psychological dynamics in conflict situations. Inely explored ways that these patterns influence the attitudes, emotions, goals, and interests of everyone in the mediation room. She also discussed ways that mediators can leverage this new understanding to foster a more empathetic mediation environment. She discussed communication strategies as well as process design options, and how to customize them based on the parties themselves.

On November 4th, TAPM Speaker Series hosted Dan Berstein, who discussed how individuals impacted by trauma and/or mental health challenges or disorders are often labeled as “toxic,” “difficult”, or “high conflict”, and how using such labels may result in implicit or even explicit discrimination. In addition to discussing how discrimination and bias manifests itself, Dan provided resources and tools to foster access to justice, equality, and fairness in the dispute resolution process. This event was approved for 1 ho

Upcoming TAPM Events

TAPM Speaker Series Presents:

Clare Fowler

"Saving TIME: The Trauma-Informed Mediation Experience"

TUESDAY, December 3, 2024 (11am-12pmCT/12pm-1pmET, online via Zoom)

At 11amCT/12pmET: As mediators, it is imperative to understand how trauma has affected our clients – and ourselves. Trauma presents in various ways at the mediation table. Let’s look together at the signs of trauma and the behavioral changes in our clients. Being a trauma-informed mediator means that we make changes at the beginning of our process to help our clients stay engaged through difficult conversations. There are also changes that we can make ourselves to ensure that we can continue to move through hard conversations in the midst of our own trauma. We will finish by discussing specific ways that we can help our clients feel safe enough to continue to move through the conflict, even with trauma present.

This event will be followed at 12pmCT/1pmET by our regular TAPM Member Meeting. We hope you can join us for networking and fellowship!

This event has been approved for 1 hour of General/Family CME and 1 hour of General CLE credit. Free to members, $20 for non-members.

***Please Note: Our Speaker Series Events are normally on Mondays, but this month will take place on a TUESDAY.***

Speaker Bio: Dr. Clare Fowler

• Executive Vice-President of ODR.com
• International Woman of Peace Award, 2024
• Author of Rising Above Office Conflict: the light-hearted guide for the heavy-hearted employee

Dr. Clare Fowler received her Doctorate on designing dispute resolution systems for small businesses from Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education/ Organizational Leadership and her Master’s of Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University School of Law. Dr. Fowler also works as Managing Editor and with Caseload Manager at Mediate.com. She teaches at Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Department and University of Oregon. Clare mediates and trains, focusing on workplace disputes. Dr. Fowler’s dissertation was a phenomenological study of Workplace disputes. Her 2023 book, Rising Above Office Conflict, is a guidebook for HR directors dealing with high conflict behaviors.

For Further Reading

Linked below is an article from mediate.com by Jharna Jagtiani about the benefits of co-mediation. In addition to the elements she discusses, co-mediation is a great way to model a collaborative, respectful dynamic for the disputants. It is a great opportunity for mutual mentoring. It can also be a significant advantage in large, multi-party mediations. These professional relationships help to build community among mediators and are invaluable for new mediators who want support as they start out.

Good co-mediators present themselves as equals and share the work of mediation. It can help to say "we" instead of "I" to present a unified front, to intentionally leave room for each other's participation, and to take turns reading things out loud.

Many community mediation centers use a co-mediation model. If you're interested in learning more, reach out to a community mediation center in your area, or email jen.comiskey@2mediate.org for more co-mediation strategies!

Here is the link to the article:

Linked below is an article recommended by TAPM Board Immediate Past Chair Kimberly Best. The article is called “Peacemaking in Trouble: Expert Perspectives on Flaws, Deficiencies and Potential in the Field of International Mediation” by Matt Waldman.

Here is Kim's In-Depth Summary of this fascinating research:  

Many of us have asked and wondered about mediations contributions to peacebuilding in this current world of multiple, multicountry wars.  This study, based on in-depth interviews with 86 leading mediation professionals and 10 expert colloquia, reveals that international mediation is facing serious challenges. While mediation has always been difficult given the powerful drivers of conflict and mediators' limited means, today's context is particularly challenging: conflicts are increasingly complex and internationalized, major powers are divided, and there's a lack of political will to resolve conflicts.

The research identifies multiple fundamental problems in how mediation is conducted:

Goals and Timeframes: Mediation efforts often suffer from overambitious objectives, particularly around comprehensive peace agreements, while working with unrealistic short-term timeframes that don't match the long-term nature of peace processes.

Structural Issues: The traditional model centered around high-level envoys is increasingly unsuited to modern conflicts. UN missions are often overburdened with multiple responsibilities, and bureaucratic procedures can stifle effective mediation.

Personnel Problems: Selection processes for mediators often prioritize political considerations over mediation expertise. Many appointees lack crucial social and emotional intelligence skills as well as technical mediation expertise.

Knowledge Gaps: Mediation teams frequently lack deep understanding of local contexts, including cultural, social, and economic dynamics that are crucial to conflict resolution.

Process Issues: There's often an overemphasis on reaching agreements rather than building relationships between parties. Ownership by conflict parties is frequently lacking, and confidentiality versus transparency is often mismanaged.

Prevention and Implementation: Despite rhetoric about prevention, most resources go to crisis response. Post-agreement implementation support is typically inadequate, though this phase can be as challenging as reaching an agreement.

Learning Deficits: Professional development is insufficient, organizational learning is weak, and there's a significant gap between research and practice.

The field faces increasing competition from alternative approaches promoted by powers like China and Russia, which focus more on elite bargaining and militarized conflict management. These alternatives may appeal to governments looking to avoid the demands of inclusive peace processes.

The article outlines several key changes needed to improve mediation effectiveness. Here are the main changes recommended:

1. Goals and Timeframes:

- Move away from overly ambitious "comprehensive peace agreements"

- Adopt more realistic, incremental objectives

- Use longer timeframes that match the reality of peace processes

- Stop expecting quick results

2. Structure and Organization:

- Reduce over-centralization around single high-level envoys

- Develop networks of mediators working at multiple levels

- Streamline UN bureaucracy and procedures

- Better coordinate between different mediation actors

3. Personnel:

- Reform appointment processes to prioritize mediation expertise over political connections

- Ensure mediators have social and emotional intelligence

- Require proper mediation training and expertise

- Include more local expertise and knowledge

4. Process:

- Focus more on building relationships between parties rather than just getting agreements signed

- Ensure genuine ownership by conflict parties

- Better balance confidentiality and transparency

- Develop better strategies and creative approaches

5. Implementation and Prevention:

- Provide much stronger support after agreements are signed

- Invest more in conflict prevention

- Maintain engagement over longer periods

- Ensure adequate resources for implementation

6. Professional Development:

- Strengthen training and continuing education

- Improve organizational learning

- Better connect research with practice

- Develop professional standards

7. System-wide:

- Improve coordination between different mediation actors

- Increase long-term, flexible funding

- Develop better monitoring and accountability

- Create professional standards and possibly a professional body

The article argues that these changes need to be both specific (like improving appointment processes) and systemic (like fundamentally changing how mediation is organized and conducted). It emphasizes that superficial changes won't be enough - the field needs fundamental transformation to remain relevant and effective.

Conclusion:

The field of international mediation stands at a critical juncture. Its record is too mixed, the challenges too great, and the stakes too high to accept anything less than fundamental change. The rising threat of great power rivalry, climate-driven conflicts, and the emergence of alternative approaches that may prioritize quick fixes over sustainable peace all demand that mediation adapt and improve.

The path forward requires both specific reforms and systemic transformation. This isn't just about adjusting tactics or updating methods - it's about fundamentally reimagining how international mediation operates. Lives literally hang in the balance. As one mediator in the study powerfully states: "International mediation is just scratching the surface of what it can contribute, and what it needs to contribute to the planet."

The mediation community must embrace rigorous self-scrutiny and far-reaching change, even when uncomfortable. This isn't optional - it's an ethical imperative given the human cost of failed peace processes. If the field cannot transform itself, it risks becoming irrelevant precisely when it's needed most. The challenge now is to channel the expert critique offered by these experienced practitioners into determined action for reform. The future of peace processes - and the lives they might save - depends on it.

Click the button below to access Matt Waldman's full research study: