David B. Savage, as President of Savage Management Ltd., focuses on building capacity and accountability in people and within and between organizations and communities. David is a proud co-founding member of MBBI and an active member of the MBBI—Canada Regional Group.

David Savage is deeply insightful and highly intuitive. He is a skilled and highly regarded practitioner with a strong sense of ethics and values. He has a profound commitment to personal and organizational transformation and can be counted on, to be honest, resourceful and supportive. I recommend him highly. – Ken Cloke, Founder, Mediators Beyond Borders

Crafting Global Negotiation Skills

David is an entrepreneur active in the Canadian oil and natural gas, and diamond exploration firms. In a ten-year period, David and partners started, built and then sold four profitable companies.  He served in leadership positions at the Petroleum Joint Venture Association, the Small Explorers and Producers Association of Canada, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Landman, the Kootenay Rockies Work Force Council, and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce showing how conflict, well managed, can create better outcomes for organizations

David is a co-founder of the Collaborative Global Initiative, Synergy Alberta, The Global Negotiation Insight Institute, Company 2 Company Alternative Dispute Resolution Council, ThinkSustainAbility, and Energy and Resources Conservation Board ADR Committee. He specializes in executive coaching, conflict management, negotiation, public consultation, and management consulting. In addition to MBBI Canada, David is an active volunteer member of Rotary International, the TransCanada Trail, and the Great Divide Trail.

Each of these consortiums of negotiators, mediators, and coaches has propelled David to author seven books, co-author two books, produce 45 podcasts, and host webinars about the top negotiation and collaboration skills. Working in various industries and facilitating innovative teams in renewable energy, health care, and tourism, also, allowed David to focus on the shared aspects of dispute resolution: critical thinking, values, and ethics, and protecting the environment.

Maintain your health so you don’t get overloaded. We need solid mediators who are financially, physically and mentally sustainable. Our world needs us now more than ever!

Publishing Collaborative Guide Books

David is a prolific author with seven books on collaboration and leadership including the bestselling book Break Through To Yes: Unlocking the Possible within a Culture of Collaboration and Better by Design: Your Best Collaboration Guide. Better by Design is his most recent book, which is a template and guide for collaborative design providing reach encouragement, listening, diversity, inclusion, innovation skills as well as assessment tools. If you would like a digital copy of Better by Design, please click here for direct connection with David and to articulate your need for this book. He is willing to send free copies of this book to mediators who need it!

Through his website (davidbsavage.com), you can see the full list of books as well as his upcoming titles. Furthermore, he has events, audio, video, and a blog all within his site to be able to gain his expertise on key negotiation, collaboration, mediation, and coaching techniques. On October 15, 2019, at 12 pm Eastern Standard Time, he will be hosting a webinar on Nobody Gets to be Right: How to Negotiate and Lead Collaboratively. Click here to learn more and to register to gain a greater awareness of your tendencies and enhance your collaborative approaches (especially those you are in conflict with). Through this webinar, you will take away three innovative ideas to implement immediately.

David’s multifaceted and unconventional career in negotiation follows the idea that “Mediators need to embrace the corporate community as most of their leaders would love to be engaged with our groups, and we can be that liaison to help solve their conflicts in ways that create shared value.”

Article by Ben Lutz, MBBI Writer

Deniz Kite is the founder of the Global Mediators and Negotiators (GMN), an organization focuses on training, mentoring, and certifying mediators in Turkey, Cyprus, Brazil, Argentina, Kyrgyzstan, and Paraguay and certifies Turkish and Kurdish speaking mediators worldwide. Deniz has been an active member of MBBI since 2011 where she became the first non-US member of the BoD. Currently, she is the Chair of the MBBI—Turkey Regional Group. She is the first Turkish-speaking International Mediation Institute (IMI) Certified Mediator, the first Turkish Musteshar of Egypt, listed expert negotiator at Negotiation at Public Service, NL, and a mentor at Workinton Incubation Center.

Formation MBBI—Turkey Regional Group

Believes that mediation teaches mediators different paths of wisdom through each case, Deniz led the creation of the Group, inspired to promote good examples of MBBI, to bring MBBI’s knowledge and experience to Turkey, Caucasus, and Central Asia, to inspire Turkish-speaking mediators, and to share Turkish wisdom and culture with the MBBI community. The Group’s priority is to develop a culture where people can communicate effectively with each other to negotiate differences and perceive them for the values they bring.

As the youngest Regional Group, MBBI—Turkey, formed in 2018, its diverse members hail from Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Cyprus amongst other cities and have been involved in accomplishing projects in:

• Antalya, Turkey – Negotiation Workshops at Secondary Schools by Tuğçe Öztürk Almaç
• Adana, Turkey – Refugee Projects & Training by Selen Berna Ünlüatlı
• Istanbul, Turkey – Gender Equality Projects by Müjde Çetin
• Nicosia, Cyprus – Held a Conference on Negotiation in Partnership with the Cyprus Near East University by Dr.Serap Özbaş
• Baku, Azerbaijan – April 2019 – Mediation Presentations at Amcham & Union Of Bar Association by Deniz Kite Güner
• Istanbul, Turkey – June 2019, The Group is Co-Organizing a Negotiation Culture Conference with GMN & Negotiators Society

Sustainable Business is Interlinked with Sustainable Peace

Global Mediators and Negotiators (GMN) is an IMI Qualifying Assessment Program (QAP). This means that the certification process that GMN undertakes with its network of mediators is internationally accredited under the auspices of the IMI. Few international organizations are considered a QAP for the IMI and it is a testament of Deniz’s career in mediation that her organization is one of the select few. Deniz career spans decades, as she was the founder of the Negotiators Society, which promotes good negotiation practice and negotiation culture in Turkey, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Mediterranean and develops a Code of Conduct for Negotiators.

GMN’s motto is “Internationally Recognized, Globally Competent.” Its strategies are shown in each of its six missions:

1. Global Ethics & Accreditation
2. Local Culture & Experience
3. Organizational Transparency & Corporate Governance
4. Being A Role-Model and Inspiration
5. Awareness of International Human Rights & Triple Bottom Line
6. Leadership for Sustainable Business & Peace

GMN is unique in its efforts striving to appreciate traditional mediation recognizing cultural customs to solve disputes. Being respectful of cultural norms allows international organizations, either non-governmental or financial or else, to succeed.

One of Deniz’s biggest pieces of advice is to “Start accepting yourself as you are, love and respect yourself. The more you became comfortable with yourself, the more neutral you will become. To sum it up: Know thy self.”

Article by Ben Lutz, MBBI Writer.

Dee Knapp is the President of Accord and Collaboration, a mediation organization focusing on workplace dispute resolution. After attending the 2017 MBBI Congress in The Hague, Dee joined MBBI following her lifelong passion for mediation. Currently, she serves as an active member of the United Nations Multilateral Working Group (UNMWG) and as a Co-Chair of the UNMWG Sustainable Development Goals Action Group (SDGAG).

Through its participation at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), MBBI highlights the importance of SDG 16 – Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions – as it “aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies and provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.” In July 2019, the UNMWG will again send MBBI members to the UN to engage in discussions around this specific goal.

Finding New Ways to Resolve Disputes

Dee originally entered the field of dispute resolution through law. A trained attorney with years of experience as a public defender and later as counsel at a federal agency, she enjoyed resolving conflicts through the use of law but was eager to hear about mediation as a new way to resolve disputes. Alongside her practice, Dee took mediation courses and began regularly volunteering as a mediator. She advocates for collaborative dispute resolution processes such as mediation where both sides are able to win instead of adversarial dispute resolution processes such as law where only one side wins.

This push into mediation led Dee to the creation of her business Accord and Collaboration. Based in Seattle, her organization specializes in workplace disputes although she also mediates foreclosure disputes between homeowners and banks, special education disputes between parents and school districts and occasionally family disputes due to divorce or problems with a family business. Dee also offers team facilitation and trainings to resolve problems a larger group may have.  

Empowering and Amplifying Voices

The concept of peace has always been a persistent interest of Dee’s. Previously involved in the anti-nuclear movement during her university studies, she continues to advocate for peace. Her stance towards peace is encapsulated in the thought that “it is necessary to empower people to use their own wisdom to find a solution to their individual, community, and societal problems.” This mantra parallels MBBI’s, which is the main spark that encouraged Dee to join the international network.

Dee has learned new mediation tactics from her international travels and network, thanks to MBBI. She is a firm believer of the importance of cross-cultural exchange and learning other culture’s competencies is a phenomenal way to gain insights on unique and effective strategies. She directly participated in this process at the Conference on the Status of Women (CSW63) in March 2019 during which she co-led a workshop on Women In Mediation. Dee greatly enjoyed meeting thousands of fellow peacebuilders dedicated to ameliorating the life of global woman populations through people-driven processes including mediation. She is looking forward to the HLPF in July 2019 where she will co-lead another workshop on mediation.

Moving forward, Dee is looking into the power of restorative circles as a mediation strategy. From small morale issues within the workplace up to large traumatic experiences, restorative circles can be powerful and effective tools. She is interested in incorporating these tactics into her organization, as each mediation session is uniquely tailored to the specific situation.

Dee’s vibrant career in both the adversarial and cooperative dispute resolution processes has been framed with this mantra:

Lead from the heart. Peacebuilding is about empathy, authenticity, humility, and sincerity. When people let you into the intimate parts of their lives, respect that with an open heart.

Article by Ben Lutz, MBBI Writer.

The chair of MBBI—Canada, Suzanne Sherkin, has pointed out effective communication as a viable solution to mediation. A trained speaker and mediator, Suzanne believes that mediation and effective communication are interwoven; urging mediation practitioners, as well as aspiring mediators, to treat communication as an area worthy of critical analysis.

“Communication is at the core of everything that we do. To be a good mediator, you have to be a good communicator hands-down. You can be a competent mediator, but there is still a sixth sense that you will need, and that is a real understanding and practice of effective communication. Communication is that sixth sense that will help you become your best,” she said in an exclusive spotlight interview held on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

Active listening, effective questioning, paraphrasing, or summarizing are key effective communication skills that foster mediation success, regardless of conflict contexts or dynamics. These, among many other effective communication skills, provide mediators with deeper insights into disputes. They also help mediators connect with parties, which is important to reaching a practical solution.

The desire to further explore this critical role of communication in every relationship is one reason why Suzanne dedicated her entire life to studying and understanding human behavior and communication: “I have always been curious about communication. I got really interested in understanding how people talk or interact with each other. That has been a major motivator for me.”

Leading MBBI—Canada

Suzanne joined MBBI in 2015 and has recently become the chair of MBBI—Canada. This new responsibility, she believes, increases her chances of helping the regional group reach its objectives.

She described her new role as an “exciting experience,” adding that she “stepped into this role because [she’s] really committed to MBBI’s mission.” MBBI is committed to building local skills for peace and promoting mediation worldwide.

Suzanne’s favorite part about being an MBBI member is being afforded the opportunity to support people to live harmoniously: “It’s really an honor to be invited into people’s lives; to be invited into their vulnerability; into their difficult, dangerous spaces and being offered a chance to support them. As a mediator, I value this a lot. I understand that mediating difficult emotions can be challenging sometimes. But when you recognize that people confide in you and share their most sensitive spaces with you, you will see how much of an honor this is.”

MBBI gives me such hope and optimism about the world, especially considering all the horrible things that are ongoing around the world. Recognizing that through MBBI, I have the possibility of actually being part of the solution to these [soaring] global issues is especially important to me. For me, it means I have a different relationship with the world.

Historically, MBB—Canada started as a “lovely, personal group” of individuals driven by their passion to selflessly serve humanity. Put otherwise, the group’s founding members, including Suzanne, were desirous of playing “impactful roles in the lives of others.” At the time, they had not designed any projects as an outward expression of their interest in joining MBBI per se. What mattered was the desire to develop a mediation community to connect with like-minded people who came from a single place of passion. And since they were (and still are) all volunteers, it means that the “passion and drive was authentic and had complete integrity,” Suzanne recalls. In sum, passion inspired these gallant peace advocates and activists to aspire for a more peaceable world by joining forces with a global family, MBBI.

Though MBBI—Canada is yet to roll out any projects, it is committed to designing projects that will benefit local Canadian communities. Currently, the Group is discussing the following thematic areas: LGBTQ community, indigenous community, and awareness around restorative justice process. Also, the Group is mapping members’ specific passion and expertise for a clear understanding of what people want to give to and get from MBBI—Canada.

Brief Bio

Suzanne Sherkin leads Highborn Communications, a mediation practice she founded with the sole goal of helping communities communicate more effectively to reduce conflicts, increase productivity and be more collaborative. She specializes in Effective Communication, Conflict Management, Gender Awareness, and Mental Health in the Workplace.

An article by Fatoumata Bility, MBBI Writer.

Martha Harty is a professor in the Department of Philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Her work focuses on technology-based training in conflict skills and collaboration skills. Currently, she serves on the Internship Task Force to expand MBBI’s partnerships with universities to attract strong interns as well as to create and maintain a mentorship program between MBBI members who are experienced mediators and the organization’s interns.

Building Mediators Beyond Borders

As a founding member of MBBI, Martha played a role in building the language and thought processes of mediation as a global good. Her main early role was as a member, then chair of the Israel Project. This project was one of the first instances of MBBI in action, a major step in highlighting global mediation strategies, particularly narrative mediation. The Project team traveled to mixed cities within Israel and worked to strengthen community mediation centers. Martha also served for several years on MBBI’s Projects Committee.

Martha has been an active community mediator in Pittsburgh for decades. She helped to run the city’s mediation program when it was adopted by The Center for Victims (CV) in Pittsburgh, where it developed a specific focus on trauma-informed peacebuilding. The Center combines an understanding of people’s psychological reactions to trauma and the mediator’s conflict management understanding to ensure peacebuilding efforts are cognizant of the impact of trauma on those involved. This combination was first brought to bear in the Lawrenceville Project, a very early MBBI project that helped integrate Somali refugees in a Pittsburgh neighborhood.

Creating Accessible Avenues for Conflict Resolution Training

Martha’s first foray into technology for training was the creation of Allwyn Hall, an award-winning interactive CD Rom she developed while teaching basic conflict resolution skills at CMU. In the CD, the user’s goal is to resolve dormitory disputes using a three-step problem-solving model that closely resembles mediation. The training process is interactive, and the outcome varies depending on the user’s response. An on-screen coach is available to provide an overview of basic skills, and feedback as the process unfolds.

Allwyn Hall was utilized alongside in-person trainings at CMU, Cornell, and AmeriCorps. It encouraged Martha to enhance and expand the use of technology for skills training. This process has led to her current work, a series of course modules on the Open Learning Initiative (OLI) of CMU, an outward-facing course delivery platform. These modules, CollaborativeU and ConflictU teach basic collaboration, diversity communication, conflict communication, interest-based conflict resolution, and teambuilding skills.

These online modules have proven to be an effective way of sharing trainings to a wider audience, especially as Martha couples each online training session with in-person activities to recap the lessons learned online. She notes that alternative dispute resolution skills are proliferating on university campuses, where they are increasingly branded as ‘professional skills,’ ‘soft skills,’ and/or ‘collaborative skills.’ A controlled study at CMU found the CollaborativeU module to be an effective training tool that affects students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Recently, alongside her partner Tris Jahanian, Martha built Conflict Coach, a new app focusing on conflict coaching and training that can be found here. This recent technology is the best way yet to spread conflict skills to the widest audience possible, building on the original ideas behind Allwyn Hall and CollaborativeU.

Martha’s vibrant career in transformative technology-based training for conflict resolution skills has only recently begun to be more mainstream and accepted. According to Martha, “You are entering the mediation field at the right time. The need for it is increasingly understood and recognized globally as important!”

Article by Ben Lutz, MBBI Writer.