October is filled with events about conflict resolution! Many mediation trainings and conflict resolution skill building workshops are happening in October. Here are some free events you may be interested in: “5:1 Kindness Challenge” Throughout October (Web Event) Chai Time of film screening –“Spark Matsunaga: Warrior Poet” October 8, 2019 3pm-4pm (Honolulu) Panel Discussion – “Making Connections with Opening Statements: Laying Foundations for Productive Mediation” on October 14, 2019 1:30pm – 3:40pm (Honolulu) Brown Bag Presentation – “Restorative Justice: Post Traumatic Strength & Development!” on October 17, 2019 12pm – 1pm (Hilo) Workshop & Talk Story – “Hate – The Other Four Letter Word” on October 29, 2019 12pm – 2pm (Honolulu) Check out the events page for the full listings.

“A Formula for Healthy Relationships” by Anne Marie Smoke – Originally posted on November 1, 2018 in State of Hawai’i Judiciary blog The thing that separates healthy and happy relationships from miserable ones is a balance of positive to negative interactions. Studies in the field of social psychology show that it takes five positive interactions to make up for every one bad encounter you have with someone. It is called the 5:1 Magic Ratio. Think of it as a simple formula for building healthy relationships. There are other positive outcomes of balancing good and bad human encounters that affect our work environment. Studies in human performance continue to reflect decades-old theories on the value of positive reinforcement in the workplace. This wisdom suggests that positive reinforcement—which by all conventional measures is a good encounter—can make an organization more effective and bring out the best in everybody. Here is how it works. We experience approximately 20,000 individual moments in a waking day each lasting just a few seconds. The moments that make an indelible mark on our memory are not the neutral encounters we have with others, but the ones that are either positive or negative. Even though these encounters are only seconds long, they can be life-changing. If you can change someone’s life in just a few seconds, why not make it for the better and get the added payoff of cultivating a happy, more productive workplace. It all starts by establishing a culture of positive exchanges. Pay someone a compliment. Offer a few encouraging words. Show appreciation. Help a coworker save face. Or, simply greet your coworkers with a smile! The good news is that you can bank good actions or encounters. After all, we are human, and we all have momentary lapses in judgement, or mindless, rushed moments when we are unaware of what we are leaving in…

Information about the upcoming Free Workshop & Talk Story Gathering… October 29, 2019 12pm – 2pm Hawaii Supreme Court, MPR 101 Hate. We fear it. We want to control it. Outlaw it. Distance ourselves from its awesome power. Yet, this powerful emotion seems inextricably bonded to our human nature. What’s behind this dynamic emotion? Can we tame it? Ease its hurtful potential? Join us for a journey into the heart of hate as we try to understand the forces behind it. We just might discover some keys that reveal some of its mysteries and channel its destructive energies. Click Here for Flyer Presenters: José Barzola & Owen Tamamoto Register for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hate-the-other-four-letter-word-tickets-74264983565
Join us for “Making Connections with Opening Statements: Laying Foundations for Productive Mediation” presented by The State of Hawaii Judiciary Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution: Monday, October 14, 2019 1:30 PM – 3:40 PM (check in 12:45 PM – 1:15 PM) Ali’iolani Hale (Hawai’i Supreme Court Courtroom) Free Event! Through demonstrations and deconstructing mediation opening statements, this live panel presentation will provide mediators with best practices and tactics for building rapport, credibility, and trust during the first phase of mediation. A lesson in nonverbal communications will give participants more tools for setting the stage and managing a fair and impartial process. Participants will leave with a heightened self-awareness of their professional conduct and better understanding of the impact first impressions have on setting the stage for productive discourse in mediation and other settlement discussions. CLE credits available. Approximately 80 seats in the room and seats will fill fast. Register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/101419oahu. More information see flyer -> 20191014 Making Connections with Opening Statements. For inquiries contact CADR@courts.hawaii.gov. For more events happening in Hawaii you may also be interested, please check out our event page.
The Mediation Center of the Pacific, Inc is hosting a one and a half day advanced practice workshop in December for experienced mediators, facilitators, conflict managers and collaboration experts. The workshop is designed and presented by Peter Adler, PhD. and Lou Chang, Esq. This workshop is for highly experienced mediators, facilitators, and collaboration experts who have worked on many cases or projects over many years and now want to explore inner and outer frontiers. There are three specific objectives: Broaden and deepen practices for experienced collaboration experts Advance and cross-pollinate our many practices with new tools, ideas, and competencies Stimulate collective and individual foresight on the future of mediation For registration and more information: https://mcp808.wufoo.com/forms/mediation-and-conflict-management-master-class/ Conflict Management Master Class Please fill out the application completely. (Seating is limited to 24)
We hope you had a great weekend celebrating the International Day of Peace this past Saturday. As we continue our work on peacebuilding, it is important to maintain our own health & happiness within to be effective in our work. Many of us try to eat healthy and exercise for this reason. While these are important actions, it is not always easy. The good news is, there is also a much simpler action you can take that will help you. Science seems to show that “being kind” positively impacts both!** To helps us all stay healthy and happy, and to celebrate International Day of Non-Violence on October 2, World Smile Day on October 4, National Do Something Nice Day on October 5, Conflict Resolution Day on October 17, and National I Care About You Day on October 25, we are bringing back the “5:1 Kindness Challenge” in the month of October. This year, we are also hosting Images of Kindness Contest at the same time. We hope you can join us! Go to http://www.crahawaii.org//51-kindness-challenge-2019/ to find out the 5:1 Kindness Challenge and Contest details. **References “The Importance of Kindness” by Karyn Hall Ph.D. – Psychology Today Dec 04, 2017 “The amazing health benefits of kindness” by Michael Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet Oz, M.D. – MSN.com Sep 20, 2019
Aloha! New Free Brown Bag Event on 8/29/19, “Busting Arbitration Myths: Perception vs. Reality” by Lance Tanaka, Vice President of AAA, was just posted on the event page. There will be 1 CLE credit for attending this presentation. Seating is limited to 30 and the ticket is going quickly. Register now at https://bit.ly/2yZAdA1 Many exciting training opportunities and networking events for peacebuilders are coming up in Hawaii. Check out at our event page so you will not miss them.
Sharing a message from one of ACR Hawaii Members, Chuck Crumpton. (Thank you Chuck for reaching out!) To all Hawaii ADR supporters, Next year’s ABA Section of Dispute Resolution’s annual spring conference, in New Orleans April 22-25, 2020, promises to be one of the best ever, a premier collection of diverse programs, an exceptional networking opportunity, and timed perfectly to enjoy the incredible New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival April 23-26 and April 30-May 3, 2020. The link to create and submit program proposals for the conference, and to the conference, is at: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/dispute_resolution/events_cle/annual/conf_rfp/. We hope that you and your colleagues will submit program proposals and join us at the conference. In addition to the DR Section’s conference, a group of us involved in commercial and public policy ADR, including the peerless Peter Adler, is putting together a special set of panel programs on innovative strategies in complex commercial and in complex public policy conflict resolution with and at Tulane Law School Sunday, April 26, 2020, after the DR Section’s conference. If you may be interested in being part of those programs, please let me know and I’ll send you more information on them. We hope to get together top ADR, corporate, government, consumer and other professionals to share stories, experiences and insights on innovative commercial and public policy conflict resolution that will not only enlighten but also inspire the law school and ADR communities, and to enable live-streaming and recording of these programs for educational uses and expanded outreach. Initial responses from some top ADR people in various sectors have been enthusiastically receptive, subject of course to their schedules, and we hope to offer a diverse combination of experiences and perspectives. Depending on interest, this could be a good opportunity for Hawaii ADR professionals to contribute to what…
Information about the upcoming Ceeds of Peace Workshops: Participants will learn from the founders — Dr. Kerrie Urosevich and Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng — and staff about 360-degree approach to raising peacebuilding leaders via the 7 “Ceeds” — critical thinking, courage, conflict resolution, compassion, connection, collaboration, and commitment. The 3-Part Workshop will be held on 8/24/19, 10/26/19, and 1/25/20 at the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Education Center. For more information, see flyer: CoP 2019-2020 WS (2) (1) (1) Register at www.ceedsofpeace.org/workshops.
Our State Ombudsman, Robin Matsunaga, is recommending one of the pre-registration workshops to ADR professionals in Hawaii and asked if we would get the word out. Robin says, “Although most of the sessions being offered during the main conference may be too specific to ombudsman work, some of the members of Hawaii’s ADR community might find them of interest. One session that I think would be of value for anyone in the dispute resolution field is the one-day pre-conference workshop titled Dealing with Unreasonable Complainant Conduct. This workshop has consistently received high ratings from participants.” Here is s description of the workshop: Unreasonable complainant conduct (UCC) can take up an inordinate amount of an agency’s time and resources. Participants will learn the strategies developed as part of a joint project by the nine Australian Parliamentary Ombudsman offices to deal with UCC. This very popular and world-renowned one-day workshop will provide participants with specific strategies and skills to effectively and confidently deal with UCC. It is designed for staff who come into contact with, or respond to, complainants or customers who display unreasonable conduct, as well as supervisors and senior management responsible for setting complaint handling policy. The workshop will also examine participant examples of UCC. Participants will learn: Strategies for managing UCC; Key messages for complainants/clients/staff; Ways to support staff in implementing strategies; and Staff health and safety considerations. The instructor is Donald Sword, Educator and Advocate, New South Wales, Australia. A full-day class. When: Monday, September 16 / Tuesday, September 17 Where: Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel Registration fee: $275 for USOA members / $325 for non-members (After August 15, the fee increases by $50. ) The fee includes breakfast and lunch, plus morning and afternoon breaks. Attendance in each class is capped at 40. …
