Communication Arts Advisory Board members Lewis Ress (left) and Judge Raphael Steinhardt (right) presented a seminar on Communication and Conflict: Alternate Dispute Resolution on February 28th at the Biscayne Bay Campus.
Ress is a certified mediator and attorney who often receives cases the courts determine can benefit from mediation. Steinhardt is a senior judge of Florida and advocates for mediation as an alternative to the courts. The speakers offered an inside view of the role of verbal and non-verbal communication in resolving conflict both in and out of court.
Students learned how mediators and judges facilitate communication and work to build consensus; they revealed how they manipulate the environment and utilize communication techniques to achieve resolutions. Students also benefited from the speakers’ decades of experience and the seminar ended with a spirited round of questions and answers.
