Professional Mediation Institute Education Program

Monday, August 12, 2013 | 0

Editor’s Note: The 68th annual Workers' Compensation Educational Conference (WCEC) will be held Aug. 18-21 at the Orlando World Center Marriott. This article is part of a series highlighting some of the upcoming sessions.

Evolving from a breakout program on mediation techniques, the Professional Mediation Institute was founded in 2009. What had been hours of programming became a full day that August, and the PMI has never looked back. In 2012, 34 speakers participated in the PMI seminar.

On Aug. 21 at the 68th annual Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference, the PMI will conduct its fourth annual education program. This year each program will be recorded, and all attendees will be provided with access to the recordings. It is impossible to be in two places at once, but with this format attendees can gain access to their entire Continuing Mediator Education requirement with one seminar.

The 2013 program features author and well-known speaker Monica Wofford. Keying off of her most recent book, “Make Difficult People Disappear,” Wofford will provide insight into personality types that are encountered in the world of negotiation. Knowing the personalities with whom you are negotiating is a great tool in earning their commitment and consideration in the deal.

The other plenary session of the program will be presented by Ross Stoddard, a well-known mediator in Texas. He will provide insight and illumination into the way parties view and perceive mediators and the mediation process. He will bring decades of experience and insight to the lunch presentation, titled “Tasty Tips.”

Throughout the remainder of the day, three simultaneous programs will be presented during each hour. With a multitude of experts from around the country, this program will focus on specific areas of interest. There are two programs on domestic violence in mediation, three programs on mediator ethics and an outstanding program on diversity concerns. For Florida mediators, CME credits in these disciplines is required; these topics are a great tool for all good mediators, regardless of CME requirements.

The entire program is available for review on the Institute website. The program will include insights on the complexities presented by multi-party (James McCarty, Gainesville, Fla.), federal (Kim Kirn, Michael Siboni and Patricia Sigman), commercial litigation (Lawrence Kolin, Orlando) and employment law (Patricia Sigman, Altamonte Springs, Fla.) mediations.

Samuel Ardery (Bloomington, Ind.) will discuss guiding parties to good decisions, despite their predispositions. Two premier mediator trainers, Susan Dubow and Elinor Robin, will illuminate the “new normal” and challenge the audience to understand the emerging trends in our society. Kim Kirn (St. Louis, Mo.) will use recent business bestsellers to illustrate how solutions can be effectively formulated and communicated.

John Henneberger (Palm Beach) will reveal the logic behind a variety of negotiating models. You have likely seen them, used them or been confronted by them. Michael Orfinger (Deland, Fla.) will demonstrate the logic and appeal of the Decision Tree. By breaking large problems into smaller issues and decisions, this provides a path to the solution.

There will also be substantive legal issues presented, including the challenges of mental capacity and guardianship issues, Medicare set-aside issues, workers’ compensation issues and more.

This unique program offers it all, with a most dynamic and diverse group of presenters. There will be something for everyone in a comfortable and upscale environment.