Conflict Resolution Lab Report # 2
A lovely learning experience was had by seven local conflict resolution practitioners on May 28, 2026 and we want to share some of the learning with you.
Lab Date: Thursday May 28, 2026
Theme: Open Space Dialogue around Conflict Resolution Methods
Participants: 7 participants; mediators, coaches, consultants, HR
Facilitator: Mark Batson Baril. MS Mediation and Conflict Studies / BS Business & Personnel Management. Workplace team crisis intervention and abrasive leader coaching specialist since 2007.
Next Lab: June 25th 2026 – 4-6 PM at the NMC office in Reno, NV. https://www.mediatenmc.org/events Collections Mediations is 1 Workbench focus and will be facilitated by Greg Lovato.
Lab Summary: Seven practitioners used an open, real-world lab format to test conflict resolution approaches across mediation, coaching, and other areas — sharpening our skills and walking away with a clear tweak for next time.
1. Lab Purpose
We experiment together in a space that’s thoughtful, supportive, and grounded in real practice. Each Lab is a chance to slow down, try new approaches, and learn alongside others who care deeply about this conflict resolution work.
2. Workbench Topics: (emerged from the 7 participants)
How do we talk and promote civility around political conversations?
Why is it we can't always influence party behavior in mediations?
How do we ensure that parties arne't working to get us on their side?
How does one get back into mediation, coaching and conflict resolution after 15 years out of the field?
3. Tools / Techniques Tested
We used Open Space dialogue technique to open the conversation up to what people who attended wanted to talk about. In this Lab (like the first one), instead of splitting to topic “workbenches” we pulled from a hat to decide topic order and stay together. Open discussion and reflective debrief was used as the frame for conversations.
4. Key Insights
One conversation centered on the challenge of maintaining civility in political discussions. Today, political beliefs are often intertwined with personal identity, making disagreement feel deeply personal. In that environment, the objective is rarely to persuade someone through argument alone. A more productive goal is creating the conditions where people can remain curious, respectful, and engaged, even when they strongly disagree. Civility does not require agreement. Rather, it reflects our ability to stay connected and continue the conversation when agreement is nowhere in sight.
We also explored a reality that every mediator eventually encounters: there are limits to our influence. Parties come to mediation carrying their own experiences, emotions, motivations, fears, and objectives. A mediator can provide structure, ask thoughtful questions, encourage reflection, and create opportunities for understanding. What a mediator cannot do is force insight, compel compromise, or guarantee good-faith participation. While this reality can be frustrating, it is also freeing. Effective practitioners learn to focus their energy on what they can influence while accepting what remains outside their control.
Another discussion addressed a familiar dynamic in mediation: the attempt by one or both parties to recruit the mediator to their side. Whether subtle or direct, participants often seek validation, agreement, or confirmation that their perspective is the "right" one. Maintaining neutrality in these moments is not a passive act. It requires intentional awareness and discipline. The mediator's responsibility is to keep attention on the process rather than becoming entangled in the merits of either position. Our role is not to decide who is right. Our role is to help people navigate conflict in a way that promotes understanding, informed decision-making, and constructive outcomes.
Finally, we reflected on what it means to return to mediation, coaching, and conflict resolution after a long absence from the field. The encouraging insight was that while terminology, techniques, and technology continue to evolve, the fundamental human challenges remain remarkably consistent. The skills that have always mattered—listening, curiosity, empathy, reframing, and managing difficult conversations—remain just as relevant today. Returning to practice is rarely about starting over. More often, it is about reconnecting with capabilities that have been dormant, strengthening them, and adapting them to meet the demands of a changing world.
5. What We’d Do Differently Next Lab
Ensure that everyone is comfortable choosing a single topic without the worry that they won't include someone.
End of Lab Report ------------------------------