SURP 886 Functional Planning: Negotiation, Mediation and
Facilitation in Public Disputes
SCHOOL OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING
Organized and Presented by the Mediation Centre of Southeastern Ontario (MCSO)
Fall 2015
This course is intended to develop participants’ understanding of the principles and practices of negotiation, primarily in the context of public disputes. Students will learn how mediation and facilitation can assist negotiations, especially when the relations between the parties are difficult, the issues to be addressed are complex, or there are large numbers of participants. These are foundational skills in planning, public administration and related disciplines. The course is designed to develop basic negotiation and facilitation skills while providing an essential understanding of underlying theories and research.
Because of the intensive and interactive nature of the course, enrolment is limited to 30 participants. Registrants can be accepted from outside the School of Urban and
Regional Planning depending upon enrolment numbers and with permission of the program.
Instruction is provided by instructors from the Mediation Centre of Southeastern Ontario
(MCSO) (See www.mediatecentre.com
). The lead instructors are MCSO’s Director,
Ronald R. Price, Q.C., Professor Emeritus, Queen’s University, and Ingrid Bron M.Pl.,
Queen’s University.
Course Dates:
Course Hours:
Location:

SURP 886 Functional Planning: Negotiation, Mediation and
Facilitation in Public Disputes
Week One
Sept. 17
Week Two
Sept. 24
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
(Mr. Price, Ms. Bron)
•
Course introduction
•
Course description and distribution of material
•
Goal Setting and course requirements
•
Course text(s)
•
Other required material
•
Assigned readings
•
Focus notes and journals: reflections on learning
•
Evaluation
Oil Pricing Exercise
•
Debriefing
Video: Saving the Last Dance
•
Commentary and questions
Commentary and Questions
NEGOTIATION
(Ms. Stebelsky)
•
Define Negotiation in context of daily work/home life
• Discussion of personal learning and objective setting
•
Personal Learning Journal
Elements of a Quality Negotiation
•
Negotiation in Small Teams
•
Assessment of Negotiation Quality
•
Constructive Feedback
Critical Stages and Tasks of the Negotiation
• Plans for Managing the Negotiation
•
Evaluation of a Negotiation on Video
•
Preparation for Week Four Negotiation Exercise
• Assigned Reading and Guide to Preparation

SURP 886
Week Three
Oct. 1
Functional Planning: Negotiation, Mediation and
Facilitation in Public Disputes
NEGOTIATION
( Ms. Stebelsky )
General Tactical Organization
Negotiation: Transportation Company
•
Individual Preparation of confidential case materials
•
Team Negotiations
•
Plenary Team Feedback
Personal Learning Journal
Literature Overview
Commentary and Questions
Week Four
Oct. 8
CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS: I
(Mr. Curtis, Ms. Tetlow)
Conflict
• Defining conflict
•
Value of conflict?
•
Sources of conflict
Conflict styles
• Self-assessment: Dealing with Conflict
• “Know Thyself” Hiam Dealing with Conflict Instrument
•
Discussion: factors affecting responses to conflict
•
Style vs. Strategy (Gifford Exercise)
• Role Play Exercise
Exercise: Ugli Orange
•
Debrief
•
Discussion of ‘positions’ vs. ‘interests’

SURP 886
Week Five
Oct. 15
Week Six
Oct. 22
Functional Planning: Negotiation, Mediation and
Facilitation in Public Disputes
CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS: II
(Mr. Curtis; Ms Tetlow)
Communication Skills Overview
• Listening Exercise
•
Bridges and Barriers
• 3 Levels of Relating
Video: Horse Whisperer
Facilitating Behaviours
• Non-Attending Activity
•
Attending, Acknowledging, Encouraging, Empathy
•
Reflection / Discussion
•
Verbal and Non-verbal Communication
•
Activity - Active Listening: Focusing & Following
Key factors
• Reflecting facts & feelings; developing empathy
•
Paraphrasing, reframing, clarifying, summarizing
• Active listening evaluation: Noisy Neighbours simulation
Exploration and Elaboration
• Questioning: Open/Closed, probing, confronting
• Activity - Questioning exercise: Taylor and the Boss simulation
• Debrief & Discussion
Power Dynamics
• Discussion: Power
• Reflective Exercise: Personal Power
MEDIATION
(Mr. Price; Mr. Curtis)
Overview of Mediation and Neutral Third Party Intervention
The Mediation Process I

SURP 886
Week Seven
Oct. 29
Week Eight
Nov. 5
Functional Planning: Negotiation, Mediation and
Facilitation in Public Disputes
• The Stages of Mediation
Video: Clear and Present Anger (or other TBA)
• Stage-by-Stage Review of What Happens in a Mediation
The Mediation Process II
• Mediator Principles and Tactics
• Guiding Principles for a Mediator as well as key
• Mediator Communication and Process Management Skills
Discussion and Questions
Role Play preparation
MEDIATION
(Mr. Price, Mr. Donnelly, and Mediation Coaches)
Role Play Participant Training Exercises with Mediation Coaches
The object of the sessions on Mediation is to provide an introduction to the Mediation process, with some initial hands-on exposure to how Mediations are conducted. To become a qualified
Mediator requires more formal and extensive training. Information on professional qualification requirements, and qualifying Courses for Mediator training, can be found on the MCSO web site, www.mediatecentre.com
.
SPECIAL TOPICS IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION: PART I
(Ms. Bron and others TBA)
Students will explore the theory and practice behind different conflict resolution models that may be encountered in the field of planning. These areas may include:
• Reconciliation and community-building with First Nations
• Competing interests in resource development and transport
• Municipal government relations
• Environmental issues – water, climate, energy, species, etc.
• Agriculture and rural issues, food production, etc.

SURP 886
Week Nine
Nov. 12
Week Ten
Nov. 19
Week Eleven
Nov. 26
Functional Planning: Negotiation, Mediation and
Facilitation in Public Disputes
MEDIATION IN PUBLIC AND PUBLIC INTEREST DISPUTES
(Dr. David Gordon, Director, SURP)
Simulation Exercise : Westville , a Harvard Negotiation Project
MEDIATION OF MULTI-PARTY DISPUTES
(Ms Stebelsky; Ms Bron)
Overview
Participants will explore how forms of assisted negotiation, including facilitation and mediation, are used to resolve multiparty, manyissue disputes. They will learn how nonpartisan intermediaries can assist groups in reaching a decision or an agreement when:
• multiple stakeholders or a large number of participants are involved,
• the affected groups are hard to identify and difficult to represent,
• there are complex relations and power imbalances between disputing parties, and
• the issues are highly complex, stakes are high, or the dispute is of a public nature.
Participants will learn different methods and techniques:
• to engage the public as well as various stakeholders,
• to elicit information and materials as the basis for planning and policy development,
• to utilize and move between different forms of assisted negotiation, including facilitation and mediation, as the negotiation proceeds, and to maintain transparency, confidentiality, and effectiveness.
FACILITATION AND MEDIATION OF MULTI-PARTY DISPUTES
(Ms Stebelsky; Ms Bron )
A role-play exercise will provide students with the opportunity to explore group dynamics and multiple stakeholder issues in the public consultation and decision-making process.
Exercise: Development Dispute at Menehune Bay, a Harvard
Negotiation Project Simulation.

SURP 886 Functional Planning: Negotiation, Mediation and
Facilitation in Public Disputes
Week Twelve
Dec. 3
SPECIAL TOPICS IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION: PART II
(Ms. Bron and others TBA)
This session will be designed as a follow-up to Part I and will allow students to explore a topic of interest in more depth via a group exercise, such as an additional role-play exercise, a round-table discussion, or break-out sessions with conflict resolution or planning practitioners with expertise relating to the specific topic they have chosen.
SUMMARY OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND METHOD OF EVALUATION
[TO BE PROVIDED]
Contact information for Instructors is as set out below:-
Dr. David Gordon
Neil Donnelly
Professor Ronald Price
Ingrid Bron rrp@queensu.ca
brondale@gmail.com
John Curtis johncurtis@sympatico.ca
Judy Tetlow jtetlow@youthdiversion.org
Maria Stebelsky mstebelsky@sympatico.ca
david.gordon@queensu.ca
neildonnelly@cogeco.ca