'kon gres 2011 - LEADR's 11th international ADR conference

Cutting through to what really matters using the skills of NVC mediation

Get a taste of the methods of NVC mediation and how empathy can cut through stories, thoughts and opinions to help participants hear each other and come to new understandings.

rowena ewa linda When we are in conflict we may be caught in stories, repetitive thoughts, strongly held beliefs, opinions and judgments. Accompanying emotions are sometimes expressed as something else eg demands, rigid positions, harsh judgments or intensely expressed throw away comments. This workshop gives participants a taste of how the methods of NVC mediation skilfully cut through stories, thoughts, opinions and judgments to get to what really matters to participants in a mediation.

By exploring the specific skill of empathy, as practiced in the developing field of NVC mediation, you will observe and experience the shift that happens for participants when the mediator supports them to hear each other and to arrive at new understandings of what is really significant for themselves and the other.

NVC mediation is based on Nonviolent Communication (NVC), a communication model developed by Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D. NVC has been contributing to the resolution of disputes, restorative justice and peace-keeping in 65 countries around the world for more than 40 years. It is a model that bridges cultural differences.

The activities of the session will include:

a brief conceptual overview
skill demonstration in a role play
opportunity for participants to practice the core skill either individually or with another and with the possibility of coaching and feedback.

Podcast: Listen to Linda and Eva talk about this session pre-kon gres (9 mins) >>

Linda Rysenbry (left)

Director of Now Relate, Linda is an internationally accredited Trainer and Facilitator with the Centre for Nonviolent Communication, founded by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg. She is also a Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Mediator, and is accredited with LEADR and the National Mediators Scheme. She recently assisted Ike Lasater and John Kinyon in the 2010 year long NVC Mediation Program.

With a broad background that includes Human Resources, General Management and the healing arts, Linda mediates and coaches couples and private individuals. She also assists business leaders, teams and their organisations to create paradigm shifts in their interactions and relationships, through Executive Coaching and training.

It is her repeated experience that when people are able to listen deeply and express themselves with understanding, responsibility and empathy - a new point of creative connection emerges. She has seen this consistently enabled by the model of Nonviolent Communication and the process of NVC Mediation.

Rowena Finnane (right)

Rowena is a qualified lawyer and has worked for Commonwealth and State government agencies in policy, legal, mediation and education roles. Rowena is an accredited facilitator with the International Association of Facilitators, and accredited as a mediator nationally and with LEADR.

Rowena has designed and facilitated professional development programs with a focus on communication skills and supporting organizational change and also worked in native title mediation. She has consulted on design and delivery of Ike Lasater and John Kinyon’s highly successful international NVC Mediation training programs, producing the widely used Course Manual for their program.

She has also been working recently in strategic planning for a large government organization and facilitating strategic planning for NGOs.

Ewa Grajewska (centre)

Ewa trained and practiced as a lawyer. As part of her role in Employment Relations she has mediated disputes and developed grievance and complaint handling policies and processes to support ADR at the grass roots level. She is currently advising in relation to community, policy and strategic management issues within the private education sector and is on the panel of mediators for Catholic Education Offices statewide.

Ewa is an accredited mediator with LEADR and has completed the one year long NVC Mediation training program with John Kinyon, Ike Lasater and Ania Mills in Australia and Poland.

Ewa has observed that the application of NVC Mediation skills aids parties in finding their own unique solutions in the face of interpersonal and workplace conflict. She seeks to empower participants to make choices which will ultimately better serve their needs as she has come to realize that this is a way of building constructive community relationships, one by one.