Training
Are you interested in mediation, facilitation and related dispute management topics? Would you like to learn skills to make your meetings more effective? The Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution (CADR) offers training opportunities to Hawaii State and City and County employees and special events open to the public. CADR’s classes are available to Hawaii State and City and County employees with supervisor approval at no charge.
REGISTER HERE
Special Guest Events and Trainings
CADR Taking Stock: Conflict Goals for 2025 • Kate Sims, West Hawai’i Mediation Center
Thurs., January 23, 2025 • 9 – 10:30 a.m. on Zoom
This will involve self-reflection and sharing with others. Participants will inventory the conflict landscape of their lives and identify ways they are (or are not) managing conflict in various ways. They will consider choices they are making about dealing with conflict and will recognize and employ agency around these choices. They will set goals for managing conflict in their lives, including managing difficult people.
Kate Sims has a variety of roles at the West Hawai’i Mediation Center (WHMC) in Kona, Hawai`i Island: mediator, coach/trainer, and coordinator of workplace dispute services. After a 40 year career in education, she joined WHMC in 2021 as the case manager and mediator for the Act 57 Landlord Tenant Mediation Program.
Outside of her position at the Center, she teaches mediation at U.H. Mānoa. She has a Masters in Teaching Writing and Literature from U.C. Berkeley and a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution from Spark Matsunaga Institute at U.H. Mānoa. She has lived in the ahupua`a of Kaloko for 36 years, and is an avid walker and ocean swimmer.
Navigating Power and Culture in Conflict • Marina Piscolish & Jessica Valez, MAPping Change
Thurs., March 20, 2025; 9 – 10:30 a.m. on Zoom
This 90-minute interactive workshop explores how our early experiences, important cultural identities, and perceptions of power impact our conflict style, and shares strategies on how to loosen the grip of history and habit where it is not serving you or others. It will prepare you to make wiser choices for better results at home and work.
Marina Piscolish is the founder of MAPping Change, LLC. Her work spans sectors from education to environment, diverse clients from single agencies or organizations to multi-phased, cross-cultural, cross-sector collaborations. Working coast to coast, as well as in Hawaii and the broader Pacific, Marina is passionate about culturally competent, customized support beyond training or facilitation to enhance implementation of agreements and needed changes. Her goal is to help create lasting systemic and structural change.
Jessica Valez is a mediator, facilitator, trainer, and conflict coach who strives to promote effective communication and deeper understanding that lead to creative, inclusive, and sustainable change. She is passionate about bringing conflict management, effective communication, and crucial collaboration skills to groups and individuals who want to grow through their conflicts and come out stronger, closer, and better prepared for the future.
CADR Training Courses 2025
| CADR 100: Working it Out – Skills for Managing Conflict 150 minutes (2.5 hours) Online • 210 minutes (3.5 hours) In Person |
Note: It is highly recommended that participants complete this workshop before taking other conflict management classes. The skills in this workshop are foundational to all of CADR’s workshops. This course is regularly updated with new content. Participants are introduced to basic skills and strategies for navigating and managing conflict, starting with an introspective exercise to prepare for more thoughtful and productive engagement. This workshop focuses on effective communication and provides a safe and fun virtual classroom for participants to learn and practice verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Emphasis is on active listening to better understand positions and interests, the concept of “two truths,” and productive ways to have difficult conversations. |
| CADR 110: Handling Difficult Behaviors at Work* 150 minutes (2.5 hours) Online • 210 minutes (3.5 hours) In Person |
Note: Recommended follow-up to CADR 100 “Working It Out.” This class will explore what motivates bad behavior and examine common workplace behaviors that can bring down morale, lower productivity, and increase turnover. Participants will sharpen listening skills to better identify issues that are central to conflicts, and hone verbal and nonverbal skills to defuse anger and build rapport in stressful situations. Much of the time will be spent practicing communications strategies to more confidently manage difficult interactions. * The class addresses problem behaviors that are more prevalent in the workplace. It is not intended to address persistent or habitual problems or behaviors associated with substance abuse or mental illness. |
| CADR 200: Communicating with Empathy – The Path to Seeing More Deeply 120 minutes (2 hours) Online • 180 minutes (3 hours) In Person |
Participants are guided through a template for engaging in communication that will help to establish a deeper connection with others including: perspective taking, staying out of judgement, recognizing someone’s emotions, and communicating understanding. During the session, participants are encouraged to customize their templates to develop a personal pocket guide for easy reference and inspiration to practice empathic communication in their daily lives. |
| CADR 300: Hot Buttons 90 minutes (1.5 hours) Online • 120 minutes (2 hours) In Person |
Are you ever set off by something someone said and don’t know why it bugs you? Does a particular situation or personality type stir an unexpected emotional response? This workshop helps you recognize your “hot buttons” so you can master your internal landscape and more effectively navigate difficult situations. |
|
CADR 400: Facilitating Effective Meetings – OFFLINE COURSE With Guest Trainers: Marina Piscolish and Jessica Valez, MAPping Change |
Learn facilitation skills to prepare, conduct, and follow up on productive meetings in both online and live formats. Participants will be introduced to best practices for conducting meetings for small groups and in large public forums. Emphasis is placed on participant engagement and managing difficult behaviors that can interrupt the flow of a meeting and prevent participants from getting good work done. A special section on leading groups in decision-making processes will be presented by Marina Piscolish and Jessica Valez of MAPping Change. |
| CADR 500: Collaborative Workplace: Skills for Cultivating Collaboration 150 minutes (2.5 hours) Online • 210 minutes (3.5 hours) In Person |
People work harder when they believe that their contributions are valued. Recognizing team members’ interests and contributions by helping them apply them to the larger goals of the office or organization enhances the value of each team member. This workshop gives participants tools to lay and maintain a foundation for a collaborative workplace. These include boosting confidence, recognizing commonalities, and collective ownership in problem-solving to overcome obstacles. |
| CADR 510: Collaborative Workplace: Giving Productive Feedback 150 minutes (2.5 hours) Online • 210 minutes (3.5 hours) In Person |
A good leader is able to lead teams through change, whether it is organizational change or change in personal performance. This starts with caring about, and understanding what drives people — their goals, interests, and fears — and requires consistent and, though difficult, necessary feedback. Participants delve into a strength-based and positive approach to feedback designed to hone in on what is working rather than what is not. Exercises and peer interaction provide an opportunity to practice rapport-building feedback techniques to determine what motivates people and guide them to realize their fullest potential. |
ADA Accommodation Requests
If you need an accommodation for a disability when participating in a court program, service, or activity, contact CADR as soon as possible to allow time to provide an accommodation. Call (808) 539-4237 or send an e-mail to cadr@courts.hawaii.gov or complete the Disability Accommodation Request Form online. The court will try to provide, but cannot guarantee, your requested auxiliary aid, service, or accommodation.
Schedule a Private Training
Courses offered online can also be taught in an in-person classroom setting. Please add one hour to the listed online class times for in-person workshops.
Hosts for private trainings must manage registration and provide list of registrants (name / title / organization / email) one week prior to course date.
Complete the Training Request survey so we better understand your audience and needs. Contact Anne Marie Smoke with inquiries at annemarie.q.smoke@courts.hawaii.gov.