Councillors to discuss being heard in public arena
January 13, 2012Councillors and aldermen will discuss interpersonal competence in the public arena during the Massachusetts Municipal Councillors’ Association Annual Business Meeting, to be held during the MMA Annual Meeting & Trade Show on Saturday, Jan. 21, 8:30 to 10 a.m., in Boston.
Many of the challenges in decision-making today are misunderstandings, hidden conflicts, or the failure to listen and respond to another person’s intentions and feelings. This meeting’s featured session will offer practical tools for strengthening interpersonal skills.
Featured speaker Michael O’Halloran is the principal practitioner of Consensus Services, which specializes in community conflict management. A former member of the Waltham City Council, including four years as city council president, O’Halloran is a certified mediator and a faculty member at Bentley University. He is the author of “Lend Me Your Ear: A Guide for Being Heard and Understood in the Public Arena.”
The MMCA Business Meeting will include a year-in-review presentation by MMCA President and Waltham Councillor Robert G. Logan and the election of the MMCA executive committee for 2012.
Written by MMA Member Services Coordinator Ellen Stoolmacher




