Author Archives: Nancy Radford

About Nancy Radford

Nancy provides mediation, facilitation and coaching to ease transition and manage conflict. Prior to setting Roundtuit, Nancy worked as a nurse, midwife and researcher in the health sector, served in the army, was a director of a quick print business, and a manager in charities and private firms. She’s an accredited Civil and Commercial Mediator (with additional training in online and special educational needs) and a qualified personal and business coach. So, she knows the difficulties of keeping calm under pressure, thinking on your feet and finding the silver lining.

Presentation: Essential Skills To Fuel Change

Image by athree23 from Pixabay

We’ve all been trained on how to give feedback. However, for feedback to fuel change we need to learn how to receive feedback. We either take feedback as a personal attack or set feedback aside too quickly.  This is a defence mechanism to protect ourselves, however, neither approach is productive. Some people even react badly to positive feedback.

If someone feels that receiving feedback is painful, there is reluctance to give feedback. Too often feedback is given as “S#!t” sandwich. This doesn’t work. Either the person ignores the good stuff and focuses entirely on the bad, or visa versa.

Without information about our behaviour and how it impacts others, needs are unmet and conflict grows. As a workplace mediator, many of the conflicts Nancy deals have their roots in this fear of feedback.

In this interactive session, you will learn how to

  • receive feedback in a constructive way
  • respond to criticism
  • provide feedback that helps people change

“We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.”

Bill Gates

Presentation: How To Manage Your Inner Tortoise

Inner TortoiseHow to manage yourselves (and others) who default to tortoise mode when unwanted change or conflict is on the horizon.

In my previous ChangeCamp session on managing your emotions in conflict, most of the tools were for managing anger.

This year, I’ll concentrate on tools to help you manage fearful and anxious reactions to conflict.

So instead of going from beast to Buddha, I’ll be talking about how to stick your neck out.

This session covers how to over your fear of conflict, learning how to say what you need, saying no nicely and sticking to it. (And still like yourself!)

“We can say what we need to say. We can gently, but assertively, speak our mind. We do not need to be judgmental, tactless, blaming or cruel when we speak our truths.” ― Melody Beattie

NB: You don’t need to have attended the previous ChangeCamp session to go to this presentation

Presentation: Taming The Tiger Within

Harnessing and Managing Anger

As an accredited and experienced workplace and civil mediator, I come across a lot of angry people. Understanding why we revert to tiger mode when threatened or offended is the first step towards harnessing and managing anger. After explaining the process, I will teach some techniques that I use to calm myself as well as others and give a framework that is useful for these situations. 

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Presentation: Building Boundaries By Saying No Nicely

BoundariesGood fences make good neighbours, good boundaries build good relationships

Mediators often describe themselves as breaking down walls and building bridges. So why do I think boundaries are important?

One of the most common causes of conflict is unclear boundaries or where someone has crossed a boundary.

Broken promises or unfulfilled expectations are examples of where a line has been crossed, knowingly or unknowingly. Many of these situations would not have occurred if people had “said no nicely early” in the relationship.

This practical session helps you explore your boundaries. Learn about how to set and communicate expectations clearly and how to handle yourself when boundaries are crossed or expectations are not met.

Presentation: Changing Your Luck by Changing the Stories You Tell

Make your own luckDo you feel dogged by bad luck?

Would you like to get luckier?

Do you seem to meet all the wrong people? Or the right ones at the wrong time?

You don’t need to buy lucky charms. There is scientific research that provides practical tips on how to improve your odds and have an easier life. I use this information to help people improve their relationships and make life easier for themselves.

In this talk, I will explain some of the findings and illustrate the lessons they teach us. I’ll give guidance on how to change your luck by changing the stories you tell yourself and others.

As a mediator and conflict coach, I have seen the benefits of this approach again and again.