My Story

Everyone has history with conflict

About me:

My own high conflict childhood inspired my career. I studied hard, practiced a lot, and learned conflict competencies to have a calmer life and higher quality relationships.

Does having skills that improve your relationships interest you?

Yes, that’s my little dog featured on the website. Yes, he has high quality relationships although he’d prefer quality steak daily instead of dog food. Yes, he’s working on his calm but pesky squirrels do need to be barked at.

ABOUT MY LOGO:

The logo is a dandelion weed, because it’s common, like conflict. A weed resembles how conflict develops, spreads and effort needed to contain it.

Deborah Sword PhD

Qualifications

After university, I adjudicated insurance claims. That motivated me to become a lawyer to fight for people’s rights.

Resolving an immediate conflict felt like starting too late and ending too soon. I quit law to earn a masters degree in Dispute Resolution.

Working with conflict, I saw that some conditions create recurring conflict patterns. I returned to university to earn a doctorate in Conflict Analysis.

I’ve convened thousands of processes, taught conflict studies at universities and privately, and trained Boards of Directors in effective governance.

I continue to study conflict theory, attend and present at conferences, and take conflict master classes to do conflict better. Writing and podcasting about conflict analysis is my ninth career evolution.