Last month I let Jazz readers know about a webinar on toxic polarization led by Columbia University professor Peter Coleman. I hope you had a chance to take part. It was a fascinating, though sobering, reminder about how deeply divided many of us are.
This coming Thursday, January 20, the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School is hosting another session, this one showing how seemingly intractable differences sometimes can be bridged.
The session will feature my colleague, mediator Susan Podziba. In her remarkable career she has helped resolve bitter disputes involving political leaders and government agencies, businesses and interest groups. Her clients have included the U.S. Departments of Defense, Commerce, and Labor, as well as the EPA, the World Bank and the U.N—just to name a few.
Susan is not shy about taking on hard cases. Sometimes she’s been able to help hostile parties surprise themselves by coming to agreement. Even where there has not been a full resolution, she has often brought the temperature down significantly. And that’s a victory, as well.
This session is free and open to the public. It will run from 12:00 to 1:00 PM (ET), Thursday, January 20. To access the Zoom registration link, click here.
I’m hungry for good news myself and am eager to hear about Susan’s latest work. Hope to see you there!
Mike
Housekeeping
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