Publications
Collywobbles: How to Negotiate When Negotiating Makes You Nervous
COLLYWOBBLES: [ kol-ee-wob-uh lz ] a feeling of fear, apprehension, or nervousness
Negotiations are challenging and sometimes scary. You prepare and know what you want, but then things go terribly wrong. Your emotions get in the way. Sometimes you don’t even try. Other times you start, lose your way, and fail to achieve your objectives. This book helps you get out of your own way, manage your emotions, and negotiate effectively.
Optimism is a Choice (and other timeless ideas)
The practice of mindful, intentional optimism
Life can feel overwhelming and uncertain, especially during difficult times. You may feel stuck, anxious, or unsure how to move forward. Written during the Covid-19 pandemic, this book offers short, reflective essays that help you pause, reframe, and choose how you respond. It provides practical perspectives to support clarity, resilience, and intentional choices.
The Optimistic Pessimist: More Timeless Ideas
A reflective approach to optimism grounded in realism
Life is rarely purely optimistic or pessimistic. You see what’s wrong, but still hope for better. Written in the later days of the Covid-19 pandemic, this book builds on earlier reflections to explore awareness, choice, and perspective. It offers thoughtful insights to help you navigate uncertainty, everyday challenges, and moments of change with balance and realism.
Featured Article: The Listening Triangle
A structured method for listening to understand, not respond
Conversations often fail because people feel unheard. Created in the early 2000s, The Listening Triangle is a simple, repeatable method for understanding what drives another person. It focuses on asking open questions, listening without interruption, and reflecting what you hear. Used worldwide in negotiation, mediation, and organizational settings, it helps conversations become clearer, calmer, and more productive.
The Optimistic Pessimist: More Timeless Ideas
Written in the waning days of the Covid-19 pandemic, these essays also capture a moment in time, as humanity struggled to make sense of things and move forward.
The Optimistic Pessimist: More Timeless Ideas, is a second collection of essays on mindfulness, optimism, self-awareness, choices, and other topics. The sixty four essays in this volume build upon themes from Optimism is a Choice and Other Timeless Ideas, and provide comfort and joy as well as practical and informative thoughts for challenging times and everyday life.
Featured Article: The Listening Triangle
Created by Moshe Cohen in the early 2000s as a tool for mediators and negotiators, The Listening Triangle is a structured method for uncovering the needs, motivations, and fears driving another person’s behavior. The corners of the triangle define the three steps of the process, which then repeat throughout the conversation: (1) Ask non-judgmental, non-leading, open-ended questions, (2) Listen in silence for the other party’s interests, and (3) Reflect back what’s been heard and understood.
Conversations often break down because people feel unheard. Created in the early 2000s, The Listening Triangle is a simple, repeatable method for understanding what’s really driving another person. It focuses on asking open questions, listening without interruption, and reflecting what you hear. Used worldwide in negotiation, mediation, sales, and conflict resolution, the framework helps conversations become clearer, calmer, and more productive.
Public Negotiation Skills Workshop
This interactive Public Negotiation Skills Workshop is offered in a live, virtual format over two sessions. The workshop is experiential, practical, and engaging, designed to help participants immediately apply negotiation skills in real-world situations.
Upcoming Sessions
Dates: Tuesday, January 27 & Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Format: Virtual (online)
Dates: Tuesday, April 21 & Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Format: Virtual (online)
Topics Covered
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Preparing effectively for negotiations
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Negotiating styles and their implications
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Collaborative negotiation frameworks and strategies
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Communicating clearly and strategically during negotiations
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Competitive negotiation strategies and traditional bargaining tactics
Format & Fee
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Despite being virtual, the workshop is highly interactive, experiential, and designed to be both informative and engaging.
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Fee: $400 per person (two-day workshop)
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Group Discounts: Available for groups of three or more participants