Chances are you know me as author of the Style Matters conflict style inventory.  You may not know that I’ve spent 40+ years in peacebuilding, often in very challenging circumstances.   That includes living with my family in conflict zones on four co...

Perfect Downloads for Summer Reading There are some high quality, no-strings resources on conflict out there  for free right now!   If you're looking for summer reading, here's two good options. High Conflict by Amanda Ripley Since publication last y...

  An easy way to expand your conflict resolution ability is to begin using the two step discussion process. This is so simple that you might say, "Isn't it obvious?"  Well, no.  It certainly wasn't to me for many years.  So here's a personal story th...

  Don't you love it when somebody readily agrees to do things your way?  Negotiating can be tiring.  It's a gift when someone just smiles and says, with no persuasion needed, "OK, I can go with that!"    Fourth of a series on five conflict styles, th...

Part One in a three-part series applying insights from conflict styles to parent-child relationships.  By Laura Bowles, coach and mediator, Style Matters trainer, and founder of The New Normal, LLC.  Being a parent changes many things!  For me,  my c...

The passing this week of Archbishop Desmond Tutu brings a flood of memories of an amazing man and a remarkable chapter in history.  I was in South Africa from 1989 to 1995 and witnessed him in action on many occasions.    For anyone committed to lead...