Do you have a strained relationship with a family member or someone else you love? Or perhaps you’re stuck in a rut with a work colleague and can’t seem to turn things around. It’s not uncommon to experience strained or…
Whether we know it or not, we are negotiating all the time. From salary negotiations or business deals to buying a home or a car or negotiating bedtimes or curfews with our kids. Knowing how to effectively negotiate is a…
As human beings, our brains default to focus more on negative experiences than positive ones. Psychologists call this negativity bias. It’s why we focus more on criticisms than compliments. And why bad news gets more attention than good news. Negativity…
Is your boss or business partner being too controlling? Does it seem like your spouse doesn’t care about your feelings? Perhaps you find yourself extremely irritated or put off by someone for reasons you can’t explain. Have you ever experienced when…
It’s inevitable that a conversation will suddenly turn heated. In that heated moment, we lose the very part of our brains we need the most to think rationally and intentionally. Yet how we choose to respond in any given moment…
If you’re looking to up your negotiating game or you want to know how to use mediation to your advantage, this post is for you. As a lawyer and mediator, I’ve encountered a number of negotiating strategies more likely to lead…
We generally find conflict whenever there’s a clash of differing perspectives accompanied by strong emotions. Conflict is inevitable in any relationship, whether with a romantic partner, friend, sibling, colleague, or co-worker. As common as conflicts are, it’s just as common…
One of the most important life skills is knowing how to navigate difficult conversations. After all, the way we approach these conversations can make or break any relationship, whether professional or personal. Difficult conversations might include: Approaching an employee or…
Anger is a basic human emotion. But anger can easily become toxic to our health and damaging to our relationships unless it is effectively managed and healthily communicated. Most of us lack these critical skills. But the good news is…
It can happen to all of us at one time or another. You find yourself in the middle of an argument with the other person yelling at you full throttle in an angry rant. While this type of situation hopefully doesn’t…
