Got Conflict? We Can Help

More than 100 Alberta real estate and mortgage brokers and broker delegates got together this week at two mediation seminars hosted by the Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA). Prior presentations in Calgary and Edmonton had highlighted RECA’s new Voluntary Broker Resolution Process (VBRP). Brokers at those seminars expressed an interest in improving their conflict resolution and mediation skills to take better advantage of the opportunities the VBRP presents.

This week’s Broker Mediation Seminars were an opportunity for brokers and broker delegates to learn more about mediation and conflict resolution, and how RECA’s new VBRP can reduce conflicts, and save time and money while preserving important client relationships.

The Broker Mediation Seminars were led by Michelle Simpson. Michelle holds a Certificate in Conflict Management and is a professional public speaker, lawyer, arbitrator and qualified mediator. Michelle shared her insight into how people perceive conflict, how people choose to address conflict and how people can make better choices about resolving conflict. Productive conflict resolution can save time and money, so it is a critical skill for industry professionals, particularly brokers, to have.

In the introduction to her seminar, Michelle made a number of important points about conflict and how we view it. Changing your perspective on conflict can change how you handle it, for the better. Watch below.

After providing some perspective on what conflict is and how we view it, Michelle led seminar participants through the Diffusion Model. The Diffusion Model is a way in which individuals can be better prepared to enter into a conflict resolution situation, be it negotiation, mediation or arbitration.

By asking yourself a series of questions before beginning with a conflict resolution initiative, it will become clearer to you what you hope to achieve from the person with whom you are in conflict – and that in turn can make mediation a more successful undertaking.

Watch as Michelle takes seminar participants through the series of questions as part of the Diffusion Model. As you watch the video, think about a current conflict in your life and try to answer the questions.

For more information about mediation, specifically in relation to RECA’s Voluntary Broker Resolution Program, check out the Guide to the Voluntary Broker Resolution Program available on RECA’s website.

Brokers who are interested in hiring a qualified mediator for conflict issues within their own brokerage are encouraged to contact the Alberta Arbitration and Mediation Society.

In the coming weeks, a 2-hour video produced from the Calgary Broker Mediation Seminar will be made available through RECA. Any broker who was not able to attend the seminar in person is encouraged to take a look at the complete video as it is an important tool for more productive conflict resolution and mediation. You’ve got conflict, we can help.

Did you attend one of this week’s Broker Mediation Seminars? What did you think of it? What other tools would help you with conflict resolution within your brokerage and with clients?