“And thank you for very much for that very wonderful and very, very practical training we have had on women’s empowerment” I am just very eager to go back to my duty station and put into practice all of those hands-on skills and practical interactions we have had in the training, it will make a very big shift in the way I do things, they way I do these visits in the field, and the way I conduct the negotiations with the armed group leaders”. . .
~ Bernadette Lukonde, Disarmament, Demobilization and Re-integration (DDR), United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic, 2019
“Susan Coleman is one of our field's most accomplished conflict resolution practitioners. Her pioneering work in school and organizational conflict resolution and social justice with Ellen Raider, and her enduring commitment to creating safe, fair and constructive environments for children and adults is outstanding. In particular, her multi-year project to enhance the negotiation, mediation, and cross-cultural communication skills of United Nations employees worldwide is one of the most important initiatives of its kind. Her programatic models and trainings are well-informed, supported by research, and extremely practical and accessible. As a facilitator and consultant, she is unsurpassed.”
~ Peter T. Coleman Ph.D., Director, International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (ICCCR), Teachers College, Columbia University
~ Dale Crossman, Ed.D., Program Manager, NASA International Project Management Program
"I wanted to write to tell you how much of an impact your course design and talented trainers had on me... I found the experience to be life-transforming. I came into the program feeling unfulfilled in my work and frustrated with some of the people I had to deal with every day. Your course helped me to see my role in creating the conflict I was experiencing. You also helped me to understand the perspectives of my colleagues in a much deeper way.
... I felt that your program increased my awareness, provided me with some tangible skills, gave me actual negotiation experience, and helped me to learn things about myself in a deep and meaningful way...
Thank you for creating something so incredible! You have inspired me to try to grow both professionally and personally!"
~ Tony G., Columbia University PhD Candidate
~ Isaac Lapia, United Nations Peacekeeping Mission, South Sudan
"Negotiation is the lifeblood of any workplace and organization nowadays...That is why, during the past seven years, we have progressively implemented the Conflict Resolution Programme offered by Coleman, with participants spanning different areas of the Organization, from project managers to team members, from senior supervisors to new professionals. This training has helped our staff collaborate with people from diverse multicultural backgrounds and disciplines including economists, sociologists, environment scientists and statisticians. Interdisciplinary teams need to develop and monitor negotiated agreements, as well as solving and preventing interpersonal conflicts on a daily basis during the process.
We thoroughly recommend this programme to improve relationships between staff members and external relationships with long- term partners and counterparts.
~ Juliana Martinez, Associate Personnel Officer, ECLAC
“You know that queasy feeling you get when you see a conflict forming on the horizon? Something starts up with a co-worker, a family member or your boss, your stomach starts churning, then you start thinking “how can I get out of this?”
or worse.
After working with Susan Coleman, I view conflict differently. We all know it’s a part of life, everyone experiences it—at
work, at home, even when we’re on vacation and different people want different things! The difference for me now is I have acquired specific skills for managing conflict. These skills help us to manage our feelings while we are dealing with the cast of characters involved in the conflict at hand. No small feat!
I have had two successful careers: a nine-year span as Director of a Montessori School and a twenty-two year business career; both required excellent judgment and“people skills”. I can quite honestly say now that with this training under my belt, not only can I spot a conflict forming a mile away, when I see it heading in my direction, I feel solidly able to say to myself: “I can handle it.” What a difference this confidence makes in one’s life! Thank you!”
~ Maureen McCafferty
~ Betsy Calhoun
“In the past, gender and gender roles were pretty much a given. And these patterns shaped our lives profoundly. Now we are able to think about gender in a variety of non-binary, expanded, and more fluent ways. Workshops like this are helpful to anyone who wants to expand their own possibilities and rethink their past. “
~ James Finger
“At the outset, all the issues presented in the two courses Collaborative Negotiation Skills and Mediation Skills seemed, to me, to have a no-win solution for all involved. After learning what each person felt and wanted and needed to become respectful and understanding of the other and be respected in the group, a common goal came into form. The steps that each and every student in the negotiations and mediations learned to take usually led to a peaceful understanding of each person who would ultimately be affected by the outcome.
The teachers were all powerful people who taught by example. Their power was not necessarily shown with what they said but rather with how they listened.They listened and heard and also felt what the people at the
negotiation tables were saying. The lessons I learned in class have remained with me.”
~ Liora Elghanayan
“Susan was an amazing facilitator and controlling what could be construed as a sensitive and possibly volotile topic..getting the best from the participants in a most honest and trusting way...hard conversations needs Susan’s amazing skill...”
~ Marva Allen
"I cannot say enough about how your work has impacted me. Truly, the magnitude was so large it has taken me the summer to even begin to adjust to the shifts that happened within my person. "
~ Stephanie Granger