…I would just like to let…the court know, that without the tremendous effort, patience, expertise and enthusiasm of the mediator, Susan Coleman, this matter would never have been resolved between the parties…I want to commend once again Susan Coleman for the…outstanding job she performed as the mediator.
Howard B. Leff
Attorney
I wanted to write to tell you how much of an impact your course design
and talented trainers had on me. In all candor, I found the experience
to be
life-transforming. I came into the program feeling unfulfilled in my work
and frustrated with some of the people I had to deal with every day. Your
course helped me to see my role in creating the conflict I was experiencing.
You also helped me to understand the perspectives of my colleagues in
a much deeper way.
In the weeks after the course, I put my new skills to the test and was
able to improve my relationships with my supervisor and my father-in-law!
In
many ways the latter was a much more challenging conflict!
I felt that your program increased my awareness, provided me with some
tangible skills, gave me some actual negotiation experience, and helped
me to learn
things about myself in a deep and meaningful way. The course made us all
laugh, it kept us engaged, it helped foster new relationships, and it
encouraged us all to think more deeply about how we manage (or don't manage)
conflict.
Thank you for creating something so incredible! You have inspired me to
try to grow both professionally and personally!
Tony G.
Columbia University Ph.D. Candidate, 2004
You know that queasy feeling
you get when you see a conflict forming on the horizon? Something starts
up
with a co-worker, a family member or your boss, your stomach starts
churning, then you start thinking “how can I get out of this?” or worse.
After taking the Coleman-Raider course in Conflict Resolution,
I view conflict differently. We all know it’s a part of life, everyone experiences
it—at work, at home, even when we’re on vacation and different
people want different things!
The difference for me now is I have acquired specific skills for managing
conflict. These skills help us to manage our feelings while we are dealing
with the cast of characters involved in the conflict at hand. No small
feat!
I have had two successful careers: a nine-year span as Director of a
Montessori School and a twenty-two year business career; both required
excellent judgment and “people skills”. I can quite honestly
say now that with the Coleman-
Raider training under my belt, not only can I spot a conflict forming
a mile away, when I see it heading in my direction, I feel solidly able
to
say to myself: “I can handle it.” What a difference this confidence
makes in one’s life! Thank you!
Maureen McCafferty
At the outset, all the issues presented in the two
courses, Collaborative Negotiation Skills and Mediation Skills, seemed,
to me,
to have a "no win" solution for all involved. After learning
what each person felt and wanted and needed to become respectful and
understanding
of the other and be respected in the group, a common goal came into
form. The steps that each and every student in the negotiations and
mediations
learned to take usually led to a peaceful understanding of each person
who would ultimately be affected by the outcome.
The teachers were all powerful people who taught by example. Their
power was not necessarily shown with what they said but rather with
how they
listened. They listened and heard and also felt what the people at
the negotiation
tables were saying.
The lessons I learned in class have remained with me.
Liora Elghanayan
