CPR Webcast, June 8, 2010 |Deal or No Deal: Leveraging Information to Overcome Psychological Barriers to Efficient Deals

Mark your calendars! Don Philbin, contributor of this blog, will host next week an interesting Webcast entitled “Deal or No Deal: Leveraging Information to Overcome Psychological Barriers to Efficient Deals.” Following is the program description:

Using newly-developed computer animation models and traditional decision trees, we will explore the interactive use of outcome scenarios as a means to overcome barriers to settlement. By eliciting party narratives and outcome expectations, “what if” testing those assumptions, and reaching the frontal cortex through verbal and visual channels, we incrementally reduce the “fight or flight” response that often impedes settlement.

Since at least the first Kennedy-Nixon Debate, we’ve known that people process the “same” information differently – often with different outcomes depending on how it is conveyed. Educational psychologists recognize that we process verbal and visual information on different brain circuits – complete with different working memories. And pictures not only communicate information, they increase our motivation to study accompanying text. We use pictures, and even video presentations, in mediation. But we use them less frequently when negotiations get serious and it’s time to test offers against realistic alternatives. Animated outcome scenarios, together with graphed offer patterns, help us process improving information in a more rational way.

“In my role as the Executive Vice President, General Counsel of JAMS I see and participate in many programs all over the world. Don Philbin is clearly head and shoulders above the rest and presents one of the most entertaining and most informative programs on risk analysis I have ever seen. Drop whatever you are doing and try to see him in action.”

– Jay Welsh, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, JAMS

Find out more about this live Webcast here.