Conflict has so much influence in individual lives and collective societies that my blog posts have four categories:

#1 Conflict Competence topics of Doing Conflict Better.

These articles and posts cover many Conflict Competencies. Conflict competence is a great life skill I’m delighted to use in the service of my clients and volunteer organizations. I also rely on those same conflict competencies when life tests me. Since everyone experiences conflict sometime, Doing Conflict Better is this category.

#2 Writing about how conflicts are depicted in fiction, nonfiction, popular culture, and current events.

In this category, I write about conflict in popular culture, fiction, and nonfiction using examples from others’ imagination and my own, and about the joys of living breastlessly. Being conflict competent allowed me to deal with the wretchedness of quadruple (yes, four) mastectomies after I was diagnosed with a rare, potentially deadly breast cancer.

#3 The Conflict Doctor answers questions you ask, with T.I.P.s (Theory, Implementation, Practice) to prevent a conflict, manage your current conflict, or be prepared for your next conflict.

These TIPs are my responses to your questions about conflicts, posed during workshops I teach, or that you submit online.

#4 The Cassandra File posts are my opinions, where I take a stand and analyze conflicts without my usual professional impartiality.

Please leave comments, sign up to receive emails when I post, and ask me questions.

Here’s a list of prior posts:

• Are judges losing the art of being persuaded? (10/1/2020)
• Conflict Mental Maps (1/2/2020)
• What color is loneliness? (1/29/2019)
• The convictions of one’s courage (9/18/2018)
• Conflict management unlimited (5/27/2018)
• An Improbable Tale Of Alien Romance (5/25/2018)
• Hashtag expiry dates on important issues (5/11/2018)
• 11th reason to thank the Trolls (3/12/2018)
• 10 reasons to thank the Trolls (3/3/2018)
• TV guide to conflict competence (1/30/2018)
• Three hopeful truths for 2018 (1/21/2018)
• Updating a useful metaphor (12/4/2017)
• Role of power in apologies (8/19/2017)
• 10 TIPS to becoming a Conflict Manager (8/14/2017)
• Does conflict competence make a good story? (8/14/2017)
• FICTIONALIZING CONFLICT (7/26/2017)
• Will practice make up for lack of talent? (6/27/2017)
• DO CONFLICT BETTER (6/26/2017)
• Kindness is my Kryptonite (11/10/2016)
• The Power of Pessimism (11/7/2016)
• Rob Ford’s simple rules of leadership (3/24/2016)
• Does regret deserve another chance? (12/11/2015)
• How to change other peoples’ conflict behaviour (10/18/2015)
• How did national elections descend into a reality TV show? (10/8/2015)
• 3 questions better than ‘why me’ (7/3/2015)
• Get over it or get past it (or both)? (2/18/2015)
• Is peace a reward for patience? (12/24/2014)
• Trust the tail, the truth is there (7/24/2014)
• I got news that trumped Fear with Optimism (6/1/2014)
• CONFLICT DOCTOR IS IN (4/21/2014)
• A Conflict Analysis of Why (4/20/2014)
• Escaped from Death again, now exploring Life’s purpose (3/30/2014)
• Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s Valentine’s Day simple rules for love and loyalty (2/16/2014)
• Bogart’s character Rick in Casablanca: is he an optimist or pessimist? (1/14/2014)
• The Mind Of A Mediator: my novel in progress (12/3/2013)
• Changing piece of mind to peace of mind (11/9/2013)
• Resilience helps after a quadruple mastectomy (yup – 4 of ’em) (9/30/2013)
• The Secret for Recovery from Post Change Syndrome (8/22/2013)
• My medical choice is different than Angelina Jolie’s (7/22/2013)
• Restitution for chemotherapy’s criminal tendencies (7/7/2013)
• 4 days after the Calgary flood – #YYCflood, #abflood (6/26/2013)
• Conflict Analysis of Dialogue (6/9/2013)
• Mentors light my path like lanterns (4/26/2013)
• How to make the choices better? (4/1/2013)
• Conflicts and health are frozen accidents (3/17/2013)
• Complete list of posts (3/13/2013)
• Role play a sustainability conflict (3/13/2013)
• Two and counting (3/13/2013)
• Political statement one beauty product at a time (3/7/2013)
• Ali and Nino; a better path to restore honour without killing (3/1/2013)
• Worlds in our words (12/24/2012)
• Passing the Regret Test (12/20/2012)
• Breastless Love, The Man Who Stayed with the ‘Sick’ Woman (12/15/2012)
• Stand up to what bullies you (12/5/2012)
• My body reminds me of Poland (11/29/2012)
• Cancer’s a game changer but I’ve still got game (11/27/2012)
• Laughter – best medicine or defense mechanism? (11/25/2012)
• Remission’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose (11/24/2012)
• The advantages of chemo brain fog (11/19/2012)
• Top 10 list of having breast cancer (11/16/2012)
• Good news, honey, I have breast cancer – we can get a dog (11/15/2012)
• A Bride in palliative care is a model of hope (11/11/2012)
• Brain Fog, Chemo Fog, Chemo Brain – no fun by any name (11/11/2012)
• BOGO, would you like a double with that mastectomy? (11/9/2012)
• Flat is Beautiful (11/8/2012)
• Yes, I can handle the truth. I’m a conflict manager (11/6/2012)
• Breaking the news I had Triple Negative Breast Cancer (11/5/2012)
• Bests of breastlessness (11/4/2012)
• Embracing breastlessness (11/3/2012)
• Relearning to be happy (11/2/2012)
• Professionalization of Conflict Resolvers (8/12/2012)
• Conflict management helps reduce stress (12/10/2011)
• Metaphors for conflict competence (9/24/2011)
• The power of apology in conflict (9/10/2011)
• Short term success or long term conflict management? (7/15/2011)
• A conflict analysis of anger (5/31/2011)
• High salaries don’t guarantee conflict competence (1/28/2011)
• Hollywood can teach about conflict management (11/17/2010)
• Relationships matter as much as technology (10/22/2010)
• TIPs to improve work relationships (8/22/2010)
• Conflicts from confused roles and responsibilities (7/26/2010)
• Being difficult and being yourself (5/29/2010)
• Conflict Analysis of Theory of Mind (4/25/2010)
• Conflict management myths (3/22/2010)
• What does it mean to be conflict ‘competent’ (2/21/2010)
• Conflict management and storytelling (1/26/2010)
• Conflict management lessons from President Obama (1/6/2010)
• Blind Spot analysis (11/28/2009)
• Pandemic panic conflict (11/1/2009)
• Apologies have a role in conflict management (8/31/2009)
• Disappointed Expectations are a Source of Conflict (7/31/2009)
• Lesson on Conflict from the Galapagos Islands (6/30/2009)
• Keeping girl babies alive is conflict prevention (6/30/2009)
• Good Manners = Good Conflict Management (5/7/2009)
• conflicts when the goals are the same (4/29/2009)
• Positive behavior models at work (4/20/2009)
• You don’t need permission to change a conflict (3/23/2009)
• Conflict is a Relationship (3/15/2009)
• It Depends: Finding balance in conflict (1/31/2009)
• Transforming Conflict Attitudes (12/31/2008)