Schedule and Faculty

Schedule times listed below are for the live seminar. Times for replays may differ due to varied start times and abbreviated lunch and break periods. Please refer to the DATES/LOCATION tab for individual replay start times.

presented by Nina Meierding

Nina Meierding is one of the most highly-rated speakers to have taught at Minnesota CLE seminars. She is an expert in negotiation and has taught thousands of lawyers worldwide how to be better negotiators.

Nina Meierding was the Director and Senior Mediator at the Mediation Center for Family Law in Ventura, California from 1985 -2007 where she mediated over 4,000 disputes. She is an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University School of Law and Southern Methodist University, and has taught communication and culture seminars in England, Ireland, Sweden, Scotland, India and throughout the U.S. Nina has served as the President of the Academy of Family Mediators (AFM) and on the board of directors of the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR). Nina is the recipient of ACR's 2005 John Haynes Award for distinguished service to the field of dispute resolution.

8:30 – 9:00 a.m.

CHECK-IN & CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

9:00 – 10:30 a.m.

Understanding the Negotiation Process – And Why the Process Matters

Nina Meierding begins the seminar with an overview of the negotiation process, including:

  • Why intuitive skills are not enough - how to prepare for the process of negotiation as well as the substance of the negotiation

  • Discussion and illustration of competitive and collaborative negotiation styles

  • Explanation of Axelrod’s theory of avoiding exploitation

  • The process of competitive negotiation and the predictability of the "distributive dance"

  • Questions and answers

10:30 – 10:45 a.m.

BREAK

10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Developing Your Negotiation Strategy and Skills – You Can Learn to Be a Better Negotiator

This session focuses on how competitive negotiations typically play out, and how you can improve your negotiation skills. Discussion topics will include:

  • The "distributive dance" in practice

  • The art and science of the opening offer

  • Recognizing and responding to negotiation tactics; including extreme opening offers, stonewalling, and more

  • Questions and answers

12:15 – 1:15 p.m.

LUNCH (on your own)

1:15 – 2:45 p.m.

Collaborative Negotiation – How to Create Value in Negotiation

This session introduces the concept of collaborative negotiation and explores how it can lead to even better agreements for your clients and better relationships between the parties. Discussion topics will include:

  • The four steps of integrative bargaining

  • Developing effective listening and questioning skills

  • Determining issues v. interests

  • Creating value in negotiation

  • Questions and answers

2:45 – 3:00 p.m.

BREAK

3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

Breaking Deadlocks and Creating Durable Agreements – To Reach an Agreement, You Have to Get Creative

The final session will focus on:

  • Resolving impasse, breaking deadlocks and reviving stalled negotiations

  • Causes of resistance to settlement and discuss customized techniques to overcome the different sources of impasse

  • Elements of durable agreements, and how to create them

  • Questions and answers

4:30 p.m.

ADJOURN