Employee engagement and successful conflict management are two essential components of a high-performing organization. Typically they are treated as separate concepts, working independently of each other. The presenters will define and explore each of these concepts and share many ideas on how these two seemingly disparate concepts can easily be brought together. The speakers will demonstrate how conflict management professionals and employees at all levels can advance creativity and innovation by enhancing this synthesis in the workplace.

"Being resilient" means that a person can bounce back from failures, overcome setbacks, and adapt to changing circumstances. Resilience is the ability to return to a state of strength, health, and success quickly after adversity, disappointment, or loss. We live in a time of complexity, rapid change, and ongoing threats to safety. Constant stress is the new normal. As conflict resolvers, every day, we help people with problems, conflicts, difficulties, and confusion. The conflict resolver's wellbeing and resilience have an impact on the quality of their work. This experiential and interactive presentation will introduce factors to help sustain health and wellbeing. Participants will have an opportunity to practice skills for hard-wiring resilience into their practice as well as fostering resilience for their clients.

Mindfulness is moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness, i.e., being fully present. We know that the quality of the presence of conflict resolvers has an impact on both the parties and the process. We may find ourselves in the middle of highly-charged situations with conflicting parties who are under great stress. Add to that the stress of our own fast-paced lives, and the welter of thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and habitual modes of reacting that conflict naturally generates, and it may be challenging for us to sustain clear, calm, nonjudgmental, focused awareness. This interactive presentation will introduce you to the fundamentals of mindfulness meditation, which builds our ability to be mindful in our work and our lives, and will give you the opportunity to practice a simple technique to enhance the quality of your presence. It is designed for beginners as well as for those who already meditate, and especially for those who believe their minds are too active to be able to learn to meditate.

Law enforcement, crisis/hostage negotiators, and other police personnel use highly effective communication and de-escalation techniques to help calm people in situations that are tending toward violence and harm. In the conflict resolution field parties can become very emotional and anger can quickly get out of control. During this presentation, participants will learn and practice specific skills that can easily be incorporated into one's conflict management practice. NYPD Detective Jeff Thompson will discuss how crisis negotiators have de-escalated tense situations, demonstrated empathy, built rapport and trust, and successfully influenced others. Better understanding how to defuse highly emotional situations will help the participants become more sophisticated conflict resolution practitioners.

Understanding and leveraging Character Strengths is one of the most intriguing ways to master workplace conflict. Positive psychology expert, Shannon Polly, will discuss many of the excellent tools and latest thinking on positivity in the workplace. Ms. Polly will focus on new research and theories related to a concept called, "Acting 'As If.'" These leading edge ideas will help people address conflict in an intentional and sophisticated manner and achieve better outcomes in the workplace.

On August 5, 2015, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) approved the first revision to its Management Directive 110 (MD-110) since 1999. The revised MD-110 provides federal agencies with updated Commission policies, procedures, and guidance relating to the federal sector complaint process as set forth in 29 C.F.R. Part 1614. The updated MD-110 reflects new developments in case law, as the federal workplace and EEO practices have evolved. The revised directive also includes changes required after EEOC amended certain sections of the regulations governing the federal sector EEO process in 2012. In addition to highlighting major updates, this presentation will focus on the effect the revised MD-110 has on alternative dispute resolution and how it is interwoven throughout the federal EEO process.