PON Seminars


After years working on Wall Street and on the launch team of a Cambridge start-up, the PON seminar changed my life.  The seminar broadened my thinking about conflict management in our families, businesses and communities and the perspective and skills I learned gave me a sound grounding from which I developed a rewarding career advising enterprising families on managing conflict when continuing relationships matter.  After 15 years, the teachings from the seminar continue to have practical, daily relevance to the work I do and I highly recommend it.

Blair Trippe, MBA
Managing Partner, of Continuity Family Business Consulting
Author of Deconstructing Conflict: Understanding Family Business, Shared Wealth and Power


Open to participants from all disciplines and professional fields, the PON Seminars provide negotiation and mediation courses to the community. These semester-length courses are designed to increase public awareness and understanding of successful conflict resolution efforts.

Two courses are taught each year: Negotiation and Dispute Resolution in the fall, and Mediation and Conflict Management in the spring. Both courses provide participants with a conceptual framework and practical advice for professional and personal development in dispute resolution. Faculty is drawn from the PON community of scholars and practitioners of alternative dispute resolution.


Semester Difficult Conversations: How To Discuss What Matters Most

March 7, 2024 – May 9, 2024 from 5:30-7:30 ET, Thursdays

PON Staff   •  09/27/2023   •  Filed in PON Semester Programs, PON Seminars

Difficult Conversations are an important part of the human experience – at times uncomfortable or painful, however, it is possible to learn how to manage a difficult conversation in a constructive way. From business partners and relationships with customers, clients, supplier and colleagues, to dynamics with family, friends, and members of our communities, the … Learn More About This Program

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Semester Mediation and Conflict Management – Online

Monday, January 22 to Monday, April 1, 2024 from 6 to 8 p.m. ET

PON Staff   •  09/22/2021   •  Filed in Mediation at PON, PON Semester Programs, PON Seminars

This highly-interactive, online course is designed to raise your awareness of your own approach to conflict, introduce a range of theories about mediation and participatory processes, and improve your conflict management skills. While we will discuss a wide range of dispute resolution processes that involve third parties, we will focus on mediation. … Learn More About This Program

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Semester Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Online

February 28, 2024 – May 22, 2024 from 6-8 p.m. ET, Wednesdays

PON Staff   •  07/10/2015   •  Filed in PON Semester Programs, PON Seminars

This virtual and highly interactive semester-length seminar explores the ways that people negotiate to create value and resolve disputes. Designed to improve understanding of negotiation theory and build negotiation skills, the curriculum integrates negotiation research from several academic fields with experiential learning exercises. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, all sessions will be delivered live. … Learn More About This Program

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