When talk works : profiles of mediators / Deborah M. Kolb and associates.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : Another way to settle disputes: The practice of mediation -- Pt.1. The professionals : Frances Butler: Questions that lead to answers in child custody mediation -- Patrick Davis: "To bring out the best ... to undo a little pain" in special education mediation -- Howard Bellman: Using "bundles of input" to negotiate an environmental dispute -- William Hobgood: "Conditioning" parties in labor grievances -- Patrick Phear: Control, commitment, and minor miracles in family and divorce mediation -- Pt.2. Builders of the field : Albie M. Davis: Community mediation as community organizing -- Eric Green: Finding alternatives to litigation in business disputes -- Lawrence Susskind: Activist mediation and public disputes -- Pt.3. Extending the reach of mediation : Juju Atkinson: Blurring the distinction between mediation and adjudication --Jimmy Carter: The power of moral suasion in international mediation --Linda Colburn: On-the-spot mediation in a public housing project -- Joseph Elder: Quiet peacemaking in a civil war -- Conclusion : The realities of making talk work.