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Mediators and others in the field of conflict
resolution are taught to listen actively, rephrase neutrally,
validate their clients’ concerns, and search for common interests.
We are told that we are “process experts” first and foremost.
But what if the process we are trying to
facilitate is itself loaded with cultural meaning? Suppose the very
“neutral” questions we ask color our neutrality in the eyes of
the disputants? Are the disputants always viewing the process in the
same way as the mediator?
In this interactive session, participants will
learn to recognize how differently from their neighbor they view the
world of mediation, and be encouraged to accept and “own” their
particular viewpoint so that they can view the world through the
eyes of others.
Examples from the speaker’s own experiences
working with Korean, Japanese, Indonesian, Native American, South
American, German and African American peoples will be used to
illustrate the complexities of conflict resolution across cultures.
Commissioner Jan Jung-Min Sunoo is a Program
Director with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, Global
Conflict Management Services Department (US Government). He has
mediated disputes for more than ten years and taught conflict
resolution skills in Korea, Indonesia, Germany, Brazil, Argentina,
Brazil and Australia. Sunoo has facilitated multi-party
environmental and tribal disputes, negotiated contracts for the
Teamsters union, held positions at the City College of New York and
San Francisco Community College, and practiced clinical psychology
at the Watts Health Center in Los Angeles.
He completed a post-doctoral fellowship in
community psychology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
received a Masters of Arts degree in clinical psychology from the
University of Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the
University of Missouri. He lives in Southern California with his
wife, Brenda, a writer and grief recovery specialist.
201 E. Sandpointe, Suite 310
Santa Ana, California 92707
714. 327 1665
714. 327 1666 fax
jsunoo@fmcs.gov
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