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What Is Mediation? A Plain-Language Guide and Video Example
Mediation is a confidential, voluntary process where a neutral third party (the mediator) helps people in conflict have the conversation they have been avoiding and reach an agreement they both choose.
The mediator does not decide anything. The mediator does not take sides. The mediator does not give legal advice or tell anyone what to do.
What the mediator does is create the conditions where people can hear each other, understand what is actually at stake, and find a path fo

Kimberly Best
May 78 min read


Understanding Abrasive Leadership and Potential Change: A Conversation With "The Boss Whisperer"
Most of us have worked for someone whose behavior made our days harder than they needed to be. The leader who humiliates in meetings. The one whose anger seems to arrive before the facts do. The boss whose team tiptoes through every interaction because no one knows which version will show up that day.

Kimberly Best
Apr 275 min read


What is Conflict Coaching and Who Is It For?
Most people have never heard the term conflict coaching until they need it. And by then, they're often searching for something else: "how to prepare for a hard conversation," "how to talk to my sister about Mom's care," "how to give feedback without making things worse." Conflict coaching is the thing they're actually looking for, but the name hasn't caught on the way therapy or executive coaching has.

Kimberly Best
Apr 235 min read


3 Tools for Hard Conversations and Group Dialogue: A Demo of Best Conflict Conversation Cards
Three tools for hard conversations and group dialogue, from an hour of live dialogue on Cards on the Table: when to use a town hall versus a facilitated dialogue, how to handle anger as information instead of attack, and the single best question to ask before responding to someone who's struggling. The full webinar recording is now on YouTube, and these are the tools participants said they'd use first.

Kimberly Best
Apr 213 min read


Labels and Identity and Curiosity: A Mediator's Reflection
Labels have always terrified me. Not the words themselves, but what comes with them: the fear of being mis-seen. Of having someone look at me and see the label instead of me. Of being reduced to a word I never fully agreed to.

Kimberly Best
Apr 189 min read


Why Leadership Development IS Conflict Management Training
U.S. companies spend more than $160 billion a year on leadership development. The global number exceeds $366 billion. That buys a lot of workshops, executive retreats, and 360-degree assessments.
And yet, Development Dimensions International's (DDI) 2024 assessment of more than 70,000 manager candidates found that 49 percent cannot demonstrate effective conflict management skills. Only 12 percent showed high proficiency. That's not a "people problem." That's a skills gap on a

Kimberly Best
Mar 3111 min read


Healthcare Overtime Conflict
When Overtime Becomes a Conflict: What Healthcare Practice Managers Need to KnowI was recently interviewed by Cathy Cassata for Medical Assisting Today on a topic that comes up constantly in my work with healthcare teams: overtime. Specifically, the tensions that build when staff feel overworked, undervalued, or caught in systems that aren't working for anyone.

Kimberly Best
Mar 214 min read


Where America Is First: A Conflict Crisis
A new Pew Research Center study released just yesterday confirms what many of us feel in our bones. The United States is first country - out of 25 surveyed across the globe - where the majority of adults view their fellow citizens as morally bad.

Kimberly Best
Mar 617 min read


Today We Got Lucky
We are living in dizzying times. Things are moving so fast, and so much has become possible, that I find myself witnessing developments I never would have dreamed of in my lifetime. The events of everyday feel so surreal. Fast, surreal, mind-boggling, dangerous.
This is the moment everyone has been warning about with artificial intelligence. Not someday. Not hypothetically. This week.

Kimberly Best
Feb 275 min read


Workplace Conflict Is a Skills Gap, not a People Problem: What I’m Teaching at SHRM National 2026
This June, I’ll be in Orlando leading a 4-hour pre-conference workshop at the SHRM Annual Conference, the largest gathering of HR professionals in the world. (Oprah’s keynoting this year, and I’m excited!)
My session is called “From Fixer to Facilitator: Mediation Skills Every HR Professional Can Use.” And the title says everything about why I proposed it.

Kimberly Best
Feb 215 min read


Team Coaching: A Practical Guide for 2026
When a team is struggling, the first instinct is usually to figure out who the problem is. Team coaching addresses those gaps directly. Instead of pulling individuals aside for private conversations about their behavior, team coaching treats the group itself as the client. It focuses on the spaces between people, where conflicting priorities collide, where unspoken frustrations build, and where talented professionals somehow become less effective together than they are apart.

Kimberly Best
Feb 1614 min read


Conflict Resolution Strategies: What Works When Conversations Get Hard
Conflict resolution strategies that actually work. Kimberly Best of Best Conflict Solutions in St. Louis shares practical approaches for families, teams, and leaders. Conflict resolution strategies are learnable skills, not innate traits that some people have and others don't. With the right tools and understanding, you can transform disagreements into opportunities for growth, understanding, and stronger relationships.

Kimberly Best
Feb 1514 min read


Conflict Handling: A Practical Guide for 2026
Conflict is part of every workplace and every life. Yet most of us were never taught how to navigate it well. Conflict handling feels overwhelming for a reason: it goes against our biology, and the way most of us were raised didn't help.

Kimberly Best
Feb 1418 min read


Conflict Management Class
A conflict management class is more than a quick fix. It's a practical, learnable skill set that transforms how you communicate, collaborate, and solve problems—at work, at home, or in your community.
In this guide, you'll discover why conflict management matters in 2026, what you gain from a conflict management class, who benefits, which formats fit your needs, and how to choose the right course.

Kimberly Best
Feb 1213 min read


Guide to Conflict and Conflict Management
With the right tools, conflict becomes a pathway to collaboration and understanding. This guide offers proven strategies, practical steps, and real-world examples to help you respond with confidence.
You will discover what conflict is, why it matters, core management styles, step-by-step solutions, workplace and family strategies, and the newest trends for 2026. Get ready to turn challenges into opportunities for connection and growth.with confidence in 2026.

Kimberly Best
Feb 713 min read


Best Conflict Solutions February News
Best Conflict Solutions News and a conversation on the cost of conflict to all of us. Not the money, but all the personal costs.
At home, forty-two million Americans are caring for aging loved ones, and in 43% of those families, one sibling shoulders most or all of the responsibility. 38% of American adults are currently estranged from a close family member. The average contested divorce costs $15,000 or more, but the real price isn't financial. It's the fractured relatio

Kimberly Best
Feb 66 min read


The Essential Guide to Importance of Conflict Resolution
Discover the importance of conflict resolution in 2026. Learn how skillful management protects health, relationships, and success with proven empathetic strategies.

Kimberly Best
Feb 314 min read


Emotional Intelligence Conflict Resolution Guide Success
Master emotional intelligence conflict resolution with our 2026 guide Learn proven EQ strategies to resolve disputes, build trust, and create lasting success

Kimberly Best
Jan 3111 min read


Communication and Conflict Resolution Guide for Success 2026
Why do so many high-stakes conversations end in frustration or silence? A communication breakdown can happen to anyone, especially when emotions run high and emotions run higher when things really matter to us. Yet, conflict is a normal part of all relationships—at home, at work, and in healthcare.
This guide explores the real reasons why communication and conflict resolution often fail, from our biological stress response to emotional triggers that escalate difficult conver

Kimberly Best
Jan 2713 min read


7 Proven Conflict Management Techniques for 2026 Success
Conflict is inevitable in every workplace and relationship. No matter how skilled we are, everyone faces moments where we disagree, where the old ways no longer work, or where we have new needs. These changes can lead to tension and misunderstanding.
Even those who excel at resolving issues for others can struggle when it comes to their own lives. This is why conflict management is an essential skill for navigating both professional and personal challenges in 2026.

Kimberly Best
Jan 2512 min read
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