The Maryland Program on Mediator Excellence or MPME has asked me to present to their Members Only Synergy Session this Friday. 2011 marks the second year that MPME has hosted this event and I am honored to be a part of this year’s faculty. The State of Maryland’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO) developed the MPME to assist Maryland mediators in providing high quality mediation services to their clients.
“Become the Calm in the Midst of the Storm – Improving Your Performance When It Matters the Most” is the title of my presentation and it will highlight building awareness of how your body responds to stress and a basic breathing technique on how to better manage the fight-or-flight response. I believe that developing these body/somatic skills is essential to mediator excellence. We don’t send firefighters into a burning building without first preparing them to deal with their own fear of fire. How can we ask mediators to enter into stressful conflict situations without preparing them to deal with
their own stress and fear? My vision of mediator excellence encompasses not only theory and practice but a reflective practitioner who actively fosters an awareness of how they respond to stress and commands a robust skillset to manage the negative effects of the fight-or-flight response.