Collaborative Edge - Summer 2007
A newsletter of the Center for Collaborative Policy Laura Kaplan, Editor
Toolkit
Better Mediation Through Irreverance: Humor in Practice
Done well, a little humor can really enhance a collaborative experience. Done poorly, it can drop a bomb in the room. In this article (originally prepared to support a series of seminars), Dave Ceppos, Managing Senior Mediator with the Center for Collaborative Policy and Carie Fox, President and Senior Mediator of Fox Mediation explore the ins and outs of the strategic use of humor. They review the research, provide a mediator’s humor toolbox, and discuss what makes good humor go bad. 
Closing One Door as We Open a New Door
In any collaborative process, people are asked to step away from “how it has been done” and move on to something new. This process of letting go of the past in order to create a different shared future can be challenging for anyone, especially those with a vested interest in historic practices that may no longer be workable. Using William Bridges’ Transitions Framework, mediator and facilitator Jodie Monaghan explores how collaborative professionals can help stakeholders face, and hopefully embrace, change.