Deborah Sword

Do conflict better
Zephyr the dog

Reviews

There’s a paradox to writing as an expert on conflict. Every conflict is unique, and the answer to most questions about conflict is: “It depends.” So, I’m an “expert” who starts with, “well, it depends.”

To the extent one can be an expert of someone else’s conflict, I’ve studied and worked hard to achieve practical knowledge that is useful for your problems. My clients, peers, and students say so. Here are samples of their feedback in different contexts:

Presentations & Workshops

Great presentation! It was very interactive and the time flew by.
Presentation participant
This was an amazing lecture. Two hours went by in a flash.
Presentation attendee
"That was fascinating and empowering. Excellent program. Thank you."
Presentation attendee
"Really enjoyed the way you created interaction with everyone and allowed sharing."
Presentation attendee
"Had a wonderful time and look forward to another session."
Presentation attendee
“A laid back and supportive environment.”
Workshop Participant
“This workshop needs more than a 2 hour session. The workshop is very substantial and critical to know in our daily living. And Deborah Sword is great!”
Workshop Participant
“Very informative session, nicely paced.”

“Engaging and well-prepared presentation.”
International Association for Public Participation ConferencePeer Evaluations. Evaluations averaged excellent to good.
“Excellent workshop Deborah….many thanks for your time. Very thoughtful work.”
Workshop participant
“The facilitator created a safe place for us to open up and talk – this was very special.”
Workshop participant
"Thank you for a welcoming and informative atmosphere."
Presentation attendee
“A great facilitator.”
Workshop participant
“Great idea for course, as everyone can use this information.”
Workshop participant
“This was a great workshop! The info was very valuable.”
Workshop participant
“Deborah was great! Fantastic topic and instructor!”
Workshop participant
“Fantastic workshop! One of the very best I’ve attended. I got a lot out of it and have a lot of food for thought.”
Workshop participant
“I feel more empowered that things CAN change.”
Workshop participant
“Thanks again for the wonderful presentation. I see such confidence in the people who were also at your session. You give sage words and thoughts. You are a ‘great counselor’ but mostly appreciate you help people reflect on their own changes and strengths.”
Presentation participant
"Deborah is very inclusive and supportive in our learning and understanding how our thoughts and behaviors can be changed to help us have better outcomes in our conflicts."
Workshop participant
“They warned us it would be long, boring – they lied. Thank you for a wonderful, interesting, entertaining informative day. I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation and I admire your skill and how you conducted yourself.”
TVOntarioVirtual Classroom: Organizational Dispute Resolution
“Deborah Sword gave an incredible and very practical presentation on conflict transformation"
"
Deborah’s presentation sparked the creativity of the group, and elicited a long list of responses regarding what we are capable of doing to turn around the actions and policies that are currently detrimental to our environment.”
Presentation participant
Very interesting topic relates to our culture and environment. Enjoyed forward thinking on ‘human factor’ using complaint process as professional development"
"Very knowledgeable on conflict management, would have liked to have had [time for] examples of dialogue on handling conflict conversations"
"
Participant evaluationsoverall rating 9.4/10
Great presentation and nuance emphasis"
Welcomed questions, informative answers."
"Good level of detail ... Afternoon presentation was especially interesting; very enjoyable.”
Participant evaluationsoverall rating 9.4/10
“The idea of a mental map is a good way to think about conflict"
"Valuable content was specific steps to follow when dealing with conflict"
"All was of value, identifying that we must begin to diffuse conflict within ourselves first."
"Opening my eyes to how normal conflict is and that I am not alone."
Participant evaluations (overall rating 4.6/5)
Conflict is common and now I have a better idea on how to control myself first."
"Very knowledgeable presenter."
"Well presented so that I can adapt these concepts right away."
"Great session overall."
"All of it was good. I am new to this position and everything we covered is quite valuable.”
Participant evaluations (overall rating 4.6/5)
“I enjoyed this more than anything else. Excellent!
"Great session. Loved it. Need an all-day session next time."
“Too short. More Complexity Theory.”
Association for Conflict Resolution Conference – Peer Evaluations. Evaluations ranged between 4.0 and 4.4 out of 5.
“Please accept my deepest thanks also for your very thoughtful and thought provoking training. I have had many of our team share how valuable they felt that it was. You are very good at what you do and we are exceedingly fortunate to have you involved.”
Training Participant
“We really enjoyed your facilitation style and having you share a few of your stories as well…. Everyone felt comfortable enough to contribute and thought the day was well spent… You certainly gave everyone ample opportunity to ask for what they needed and wanted.”
Workshop participant
“Proactive."
" Demonstrated her approach effectively, respectfully."
"Skills and insights helpful."
"Helpful in presenting alternatives. "
"Excellent debriefing, good. "
"Very helpful and honest, brought a lot to the session. "
"Excellent insight into how to capture the interests from the issues.”
Ontario Professional Planners Institute Development Program on A.D.RStudent evaluations, coaching 4.5/5

Professional Training & Workshop Facilitation

“Deborah consistently strives for excellence, connects with people, shows sound judgment and makes things happen. Deborah is an outstanding asset to the agency… I look forward to Deborah’s contribution to improve and assist with Information Management as we document our processes, strengthen our image and communicate with clients, while continuing to deliver creative and competent Conflict Management services to our diverse clientele.”
Organizational Change Process participant
“You have consistently been able to bring fresh insight and intelligence to the work of conflict management across Canada and for a short time, within the agency. Your consistency in living what you teach has been inspiring.”
Organizational Change Process participant
“I enjoyed this more than anything else. Excellent! Present to everyone next year.”

“Great session. Loved it. Need an all-day session next time.”
Association for Conflict Resolution Conference – Peer evaluationsPeer evaluations ranged between 4.0 and 4.4 out of 5
“Excellent workshop Deborah. Your explanations and examples made the content easy to understand.”

“Fantastic topic and instructor. I learned a lot that I can apply immediately.”
Professional TrainingWorkshop participant
“Laid back and supportive environment, yet highly informative. I appreciated the balance of theory and practice.”

“Very interactive and engaging; encouraged participation from everyone in the room."
Professional TrainingWorkshop participant
“Clear, practical examples combined with humor made this a great learning experience.”
Professional TrainingWorkshop participant

Professional Recognition & Peer Evaluations

“Professor Sword is the most articulate, bright and engaging person I ever met. She is a great asset for the Conflict Studies program.”
Peer/Colleague
“Deborah consistently demonstrates excellence, insight, and professionalism. Her contributions to research and teaching are widely respected.”
Peer evaluation
“Deborah Sword’s work is recognized nationally. She has contributed significant scholarship and mentorship to the field of conflict management.”
Professional colleague
“She is a thoughtful and innovative facilitator, educator, and mediator whose work has had impact across organizations and academia.”
Peer evaluation
“Deborah has received excellent evaluations from students, peers, and professional associations alike, reflecting her skill, integrity, and dedication.”
Peer/Professional organization
“Her dissertation supervision and mentorship have guided many students to success, reflecting her commitment to teaching and scholarly development.”
Graduate student supervisor
“Deborah’s expertise and judgment are sought after by colleagues and professional organizations. She is highly respected and valued in the conflict resolution community.”
Professional colleague

Mediation & Arbitration

“Deborah Sword guided our negotiation and arbitration process with incredible skill and patience. We achieved a resolution that satisfied both parties in a much shorter time than expected.”
Mediation client
“Deborah’s professionalism and clarity made a very tense situation manageable. She helped us see each other’s perspectives and reach a constructive agreement.”
Arbitration participant
“Deborah’s approach is fair, balanced, and calm. She makes complex disputes understandable and helps all parties feel heard.”
Mediation client
“Deborah Sword is outstanding in handling conflict; her insight, neutrality, and ability to facilitate discussion resulted in a solution everyone could accept.”
Mediation client
“Her knowledge of conflict resolution law and best practices was evident and gave all parties confidence in the process.”
Arbitration client
“Deborah provided excellent guidance throughout our mediation. She is perceptive, patient, and skilled in creating a safe environment for negotiation.”
Mediation clientCEO
“Deborah Sword demonstrated professionalism, empathy, and expertise. The mediation would not have been successful without her skillful facilitation.”
Mediation participant
“Brings clarity and insight to complex issues and is very effective in guiding all parties toward a constructive solution.”
MediationClient/peer feedback
“Demonstrates excellent judgment and objectivity in facilitating resolutions and mediating disputes.”
MediationPeer/colleague feedback
“Deborah is highly regarded for her preparation skills, ability to identify relevant criteria for decision-making, and hearing skills as a panel member.”
ArbitrationPanel feedback

Organizational & Consulting Work

“Deborah Sword helped our organization restructure conflict management processes. Her insights were practical, thoughtful, and immediately actionable.”
Agency leadership participant
“Deborah’s consulting clarified roles, improved communication, and strengthened our team’s ability to resolve disputes internally.”
Organizational leader
“Deborah brought a high level of professionalism, analytical skill, and deep understanding of conflict dynamics to our consulting engagement.”
Consulting participant
“Deborah facilitated a complex organizational review with sensitivity and insight. Staff felt heard and valued throughout the process.”
Organizational participant
“The recommendations Deborah Sword provided have been integrated across our agency and have measurably improved workflow and morale.”
Agency leadership participant
“Her ability to combine theory, research, and practical solutions made her consulting work extremely effective.”
Organizational participant

Academic Teaching & Course Facilitation

“Professor Sword was an outstanding instructor. She clearly knows what she is talking about and her turnaround time on assignments and feedback was the fastest I have seen yet. Thanks Deborah!”
University student evaluation
“Deborah Sword is an accomplished and insightful facilitator. Her knowledge and grasp of the subject matter are strengths she brings to the classroom and to the forums. Learners are intrigued by her skilful presentation of complex material.”
University courseMentor evaluation
“Through discussion questions and discussions, Deborah invited learners to think beyond the boundaries – she promoted critical thinking skills and challenged learners to present material that reflected good writing and thinking skills.”


University courseMentor evaluation
“Deborah Sword is an accomplished and insightful facilitator. Her knowledge and grasp of the subject matter are strengths she brings to the classroom and to the forums. Learners are intrigued by her skilful presentation of complex material.”

University courseMentor evaluation
“The learners responded to her high expectations by their willingness to rewrite and rethink responses. Deborah reflected the desire to excel as a facilitator by and through her enthusiasm, careful supervision and ability to learn through the ‘glitches and humps’ of a new system; at the end, she showed herself an able and perceptive facilitator.”
University courseMentor evaluation
Student respondents in my online Conflict Management course reported that they strongly agreed that they found it easy to get useful and prompt help in the course.

95% strongly agreed that I provided new ideas, listened well and guided the discussion of content that they found interesting.
Office for Partnerships for Advanced Skills, Organizational Conflict ManagementStudent evaluations
“I think both the content and the instructor were super.”


“I really enjoyed the online video content as well as the facilitator and my fellow students.”
Organizational Conflict ManagementOnline course participant comments
Great course, all the web links were good and the online facilitator always had ideas for additional content that was relevant to our specific needs.”


“Great experience! Good group of learners, great facilitator and decent content.”
Organizational Conflict ManagementOnline course participant comments
“I did find the technology hard in the beginning, but after a while I worked it out. Because of the group and the online teacher I kept trying because I found it so interesting. This was top quality, the best online learning experience I have seen. My wife is taking two online courses from a university and she was very jealous of my experience. It is clear that the online facilitator was well trained and supported us throughout the course.
Organizational Conflict ManagementOnline course participant comments
“I participated in the course and in the second unit I found that both online instructors were amazing.”


“I did conflict resolution with Deborah and online facilitation with Jan. Both were exceptionally good experiences.”


“The online community of students and the instructors were great.”


“I did both conflict resolution and the online facilitation and both were very professional and high quality.”
Organizational Conflict ManagementOnline course participant comments
"She has exceptional interpersonal skills and applies them very well in this not so personal world. She reads well, assimilates it and she is able to demonstrate her understanding of the learners in her comments and assignments. She practices very democratic leadership. She is open, yet guides the discussion. She is definitely very professional and confident in her knowledge and she has gained the respect of the learners."
Organizational Conflict ManagementOnline course participant comments

"Deborah speaks with openness, respect and confidence. I like how she invited them to participate, learned about them and after made the discussion groups. Clearly she has the confidence of the group to be open and honest. Very interesting."
Organizational Conflict ManagementOnline course participant comments
"The facilitator demonstrates that she is a good teacher in her ability to listen to the students and present discussion of interest to them. She provides a group of discussion forums and the learner has choices about how to proceed. She has exceptional abilities to explain issues in a way that provokes discussion. She definitely understands conflict resolution."
Organizational Conflict ManagementOnline course participant comments
"Great discussions and you have done a super job of facilitating."

"Great overview of what she expects from the students. Very warm and inviting style of commenting and questioning. Extremely professional in her own reflections and the comments provided. Terrific example."
Organizational Conflict ManagementOnline course participant comments
“I enjoyed the amount of student interaction. Most classes have a lecturer that lectures while students listen. This class encouraged me to do the readings so that I would be able to participate.”


“The negotiation, mediation, facilitation demonstrations were the best.”
York University, Department of Psychology | Conflict Analysis and NegotiationStudent evaluations
“I found it sometimes frustrating that when I asked a question, it would be replied to with a question. However, I also liked how Deborah taught not strictly from course material and was flexible with work and assignments. She really made me feel like my opinion counted.”
York University, Department of Psychology | Conflict Analysis and NegotiationStudent evaluations
“I enjoyed the professors for this term. I found that they were warm and I did not just feel like a number.”

“I found the assignments, class discussions, role playing, modeling the most valuable in this course. I appreciated the connection to current societal conflicts. I think the conflict analysis framework paper a valuable exercise. Deborah did a great job of taking over the class fabulous facilitator!”
York University, Department of Psychology | Conflict Analysis and NegotiationStudent evaluations
“I valued the open discussions and the way in which different models of conflict resolutions were presented.”


“It was very creative-interactive a fair amount of new concepts were introduced to guide discussion and thought.”


“[Most valued] the availability of the instructor and her obvious interest in the class and course material.”
York University, Department of Psychology | Conflict Analysis and NegotiationStudent evaluations
“The second instructor, L. Deborah Sword was phenomenal. Her style of teaching by facilitation taught me more than any book ever could. Her style of teaching is unique and brilliant. The whole class comes alive. Deborah brought real life examples from her vast experience, which made this a stimulating and thought-provoking course.”
York University, Department of Psychology | Conflict Analysis and NegotiationStudent evaluations
“Deborah Sword was an excellent choice to take over from C. Chataway in this course. Her background in law and mediation fit perfectly into the course material.”


“Thank you for a wonderful learning experience this year.”
York University, Department of Psychology | Conflict Analysis and NegotiationStudent evaluations
“I think you did an excellent job with our class. It must have been difficult to come into a class that was already acquainted and follow another professor’s guidelines but overall the class was stimulating and I really felt as though I learned a lot.”
York University, Department of Psychology | Conflict Analysis and NegotiationStudent evaluations
“Excellent. Articulate. Very passionate about this area of knowledge and this showed.”


“Very well organized.”


“Very valuable information on becoming a mediator was provided.”
York University, Atkinson College, Department of Continuing Education | Civil Procedure for MediatorsStudent evaluations
“Great stuff. Why do we get through high school without an understanding of this information?!”


“Deborah was excellent.”
York University, Atkinson College, Department of Continuing Education | Civil Procedure for MediatorsStudent evaluations