English for Dispute Resolution (EDR) combines English, negotiation, mediation and cross-cultural communication. It’s like Legal English, Business English or ESL that’s focused on cross-cultural dispute resolution. Find your place in the global EDR community and contribute your ideas.
Learn the Getting to Yes (GTY) “win-win” negotiation method in English
Generations of English-speaking negotiators have been trained in GTY’s four-step
“principled negotiation” method from the Harvard Project on Negotiation. GTY is challenging for many non-native English speakers, but this book will help you read and apply it in English. These resources will help ESL/ESP instructors guide students through GTY.
Who is EDR for?
Students/Professionals
Learn how to negotiate and mediate in English for business, law or professional-level communication for any purpose. Improve two skills - English and dispute resolution - at the same time. If you’re an LL.M. student, prepare for challenging ADR courses with native English speakers. Meet fellow EDR students and colleagues from around the world in online workshops and other activities on this website.
Instructors
Learn how to include ADR, negotiation or mediation in your Legal English, Business English or other ESP or ESL courses or how to create a new EDR course. Combine English and dispute resolution to give your students two valuable skills for the price of one. Meet colleagues from around the world in online workshops for instructors and other activities on this website. Connect your students with other EDR students for cross-cultural discussions, activities and role-plays.
Researchers
EDR is a new multidisciplinary field with research opportunities in cross-cultural dispute resolution, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, language acquisition, pedagogy and more. Contribute articles related to EDR and share research ideas with global colleagues. What happens when non-native English speakers negotiate with each other or with native English speakers in English? How can we prepare them to negotiate more skillfully in English?
Interpreters
Few interpreters have received meaningful training in the unique terminology, concepts, ethical dilemmas and nuances of negotiation and mediation. Take an online ADR for Interpreters training with an experienced mediator-interpreter to start creating your own new ADR niche.
EDR Resources
There are hundreds of books on negotiation and mediation, but few were written for EDR audiences. EDR is developing a library of EDR resources and is also developing a Global EDR Resource List for a range of EDR audiences. Please send your suggestions to add to these lists.
EDR resources for Students/Professionals
EDR resources for students and professionals include negotiation and mediation books that explain key concepts, vocabulary and idioms in user-friendly English.
The “Getting to Yes” © Guide for ESL Students and Professionals
Barrie J. Roberts
Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2024
The “Getting to Yes” © Guide for ESL Students and Professionals is your guide to the Harvard Negotiation Project’s four-step method of principled negotiation. The guide goes through Getting to Yes, page by page, to explain vocabulary, idioms, terms of art and concepts to help ESL readers negotiate in English with confidence no matter who is on the other side of the table or screen. Readers can use the guide for self-study or as a course textbook. ESL instructors will be happy to see that each chapter is a ready-made lesson plan.
Practical English Language Skills for Lawyers: Improving your Legal English
Natasha Costello and Louise Kulbicki
New York: Routledge, 2023
This excellent book includes sections on negotiation, mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and will benefit all EDR audiences - lawyers and non-lawyers alike. It includes activities for students to practice using English in real-life negotiation and mediation scenarios.
Also see author Louise Kulbicki’s Study Legal English website: https://studylegalenglish.com/author/legalenglish/.
English for Dispute Resolution: Mastering Negotiation, Mediation, and Alternative Dispute Resolution
Barrie J. Roberts
Coming in July 2025!
This is an introduction to ADR for advanced ESL law and business students and professionals. Each chapter starts with a hypothetical case and then uses that story to explain complex ADR concepts in plain English. The book includes crossover language and cultural issues, such as communication styles and apologies. And it provides an online companion site, a teaching guide and plenty of activities for self-study or the classroom.
EDR resources for Instructors and Researchers
Conflict Resolution for the Classroom: What Every ESL Teacher Needs to Know
Barrie J. Roberts
Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2020
This short book shows ESL instructors how to turn standard ESL activities into conflict resolution activities that combine English lessons with valuable soft skills. Written for instructors with no formal training in negotiation or mediation, the book explains the basics and provides integrated language and conflict resolution activities for intermediate to advanced courses in various educational settings.
Using Getting to Yes © to teach English, negotiation, and other 21st century skills
Barrie J. Roberts
Journal of Research Institute, Kobe City University of Foreign Studies 58
This article shows English language and Legal English instructors how to use Getting to Yes to teach integrated lessons in negotiation, English and essential 21st century skills. Written for instructors with no formal training in negotiation, the article describes four different courses that combine GTY with language learning.
The Teaching Guide for English for Dispute Resolution: Mastering Negotiation, Mediation, and Alternative Dispute Resolution in English
Barrie J. Roberts
University of Michigan Press, July 2025
The textbook shows ESL and ESP instructors how to use the book for activities, units or whole courses. The teaching guide provides:
An introduction to teaching EDR for instructors with no formal training in negotiation and mediation
Lesson plans and teaching tips for each chapter
Separate guidance for ESL and ESP instructors
Step-by-step instructions for activities and role-plays
Lists of online and other resources
A free online companion site that makes it easy to send activities and materials to students
We want to hear from you!
Your knowledge, experience, ideas and questions can help create the global EDR community. Whether you're a student, instructor, negotiator, mediator, interpreter, researcher, ombuds or someone who’s interested in EDR for other reasons, your unique perspective can inspire and educate others.
Frequently asked questions
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Activity and Word of the Week
Check here each week for an EDR activity to practice, a new word or idiom to learn or an idea to explore. Share your responses and explore responses from the EDR community here.