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Frequently Asked Questions About the ADR Workshop

    1. What can I learn from this workshop that I can use to augment my income?

    2. How do I become a professional mediator?

    3. Why Conrad Grebel’s Certificate Program in Conflict Management?

    4. Who is this ADR  workshop the best fit for?

    5. Why is the ADR workshop so costly?

    6. Can I use this workshop to qualify for the Ontario Mandatory Mediation Plan roster in Ottawa, Windsor or Toronto?
    1. What can I learn from this workshop that I can use to augment my income?

      There are two main ways that you can use dispute resolution skills to enhance your career and earning capacity. One is to change careers and become a professional mediator. The second is to apply these skills in your current profession in order to increase your effectiveness. Effective conflict management skills make participants in the workshop more competitive in the job market and more easily promoted. Employers are looking for people who have “soft people skills” for positions in management, supervision and customer relations.

      The ability to negotiate win/win resolutions will enhance your effectiveness in all workplaces and at home.

      Graduates of this program have applied their learning in settings such as:

      • Patient advocacy in health care institutions
      • Customer service aftercare in retail housing
      • Mediation of condominium, family and commercial disputes
      • Ombudsman positions in communities and institutional settings
      • Human resource professions and counseling
      • Leadership positions in trade unions
      • Command positions in police services
      • Political office

    2. How do I become a professional mediator?

      Building a mediation practice requires a good grounding in the theory of mediation, an understanding of the marketplace for mediation services, entrepreneurial acumen, hard work, and persistence. The ADR workshop will provide you with the grounding you require to begin to build your skills as a mediator and you will need to invest a lot of hard work and energy into discovering and exploiting your niche in the marketplace. The course will make you aware of a variety of community mediation, internship and observation programs that are available. (See also Building a Successful Mediation Practice, Article by James Melamed. Used with Permission.)

    3. Why Conrad Grebel’s Certificate Program in Conflict Management?

      Conrad Grebel University College has been offering specialized academic programming in the field of Peace and Conflict Studies since 1977. It has Canada’s longest running PACS program. Grebel offers degree studies in the field of Peace and Conflict Studies and the Certificate Program offers a wide variety of approaches, embracing both community based and commercial applications of conflict management. The University of Waterloo has an excellent academic reputation as a cutting edge educational institution with a beautiful campus located centrally in Southern Ontario.

      Note that several of the workshops (including the ADR workshop) are also delivered in Toronto.

    4. Who is this ADR workshop the best fit for?

      The ADR workshop is designed to expose participants to the broadest range of dispute resolution alternatives and applications in a short, concise format. Participants who value highly a cross-disciplinary approach to dispute resolution work will appreciate this program most. The workshop facilitators have a breadth of real world experience that is difficult to find elsewhere: professional experience in the fields of psychology, engineering, law, insurance, human resources and post-secondary educational settings allow Barb Landau, Rick Russell and Sy Landau to marry theory and practice seamlessly. All of our trainers and coaches are seasoned ADR professionals with real world experience in mediation, negotiation, arbitration and ombudsmanry. Those who want a credential from a recognized, highly regarded University and recognition by the leading commercial ADR association in Ontario will appreciate receiving Certificates from Conrad Grebel University College and the ADR Institute of Ontario.

      The workshop is limited in size to 24 participants to ensure excellent trainer and coach/faculty to participant ratios. A variety of teaching methods are used including video presentation, small group exercises, mini-lecture and role-play exercises. People who appreciate hands on, interactive workshop-style learning with lots of opportunity for interaction with other participants and faculty will thrive in this workshop.

    5. Why is the ADR workshop so costly?

      The ADR workshop is an intensive program with a high ratio of faculty and coaching staff to participants. Our trainers are professional mediators with busy professional practices and many years of experience designing and delivering excellent learning experiences. Workshop materials are thorough, up-to-date and provide enduring value as a reference tool. Included in the cost of the workshop are two ½ hour one-on-one tele-coaching sessions with our faculty.

    6. Can I use this workshop to qualify for the Ontario Mandatory Mediation Plan roster in Ottawa, Windsor or Toronto?

      Many people who have completed our workshop have succeeded in qualifying for the Ontario Mandatory Mediation Plan roster. Completion of a forty-hour mediation workshop is only one of several requirements for inclusion on the OMMP roster. The Ontario Mandatory Mediation Plan does not approve specific workshop courses; however, many people who have completed our workshop have succeeded in qualifying for the Ontario Mandatory Mediation Plan roster.

    ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION, Level 1 and Level 2