88. Conflict Avoidance Leads to Conflict: How Skilled Negotiators Build Lasting Peace // Stan Christensen

About this episode

Stan Christensen discusses the relationship between negotiation and peacemaking, emphasizing the importance of trust and the pitfalls of conflict avoidance.

What does negotiation have to do with peacemaking? Turns out, A LOT. Stan Christensen has spent decades negotiating in over 75 countries — between governments, ethnic groups, and armed factions — and he joins Wiser World to bring that hard-won wisdom down to earth. We talk about why conflict avoidance creates more conflict, how trust is built and broken, what skilled negotiators do differently, and why Stan believes there is no such thing as an intractable conflict. This one will change how you see every difficult conversation in your life. Check out Stan's podcast "All Things Negotiation" to learn more about negotiation. Transcript for this episode. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Introduction & Stan's background 02:57 – What is negotiation, really? 04:10 – How negotiation and peacemaking differ 05:33 – Inside peace negotiations: what actually happens in the room 06:59 – What separates skilled negotiators from unskilled ones 09:27 – "Conflict avoidance leads to conflict" 10:20 – The key skills: curiosity, inquiry, and the orange story 14:41 – How trust is built (and broken) 17:32 – Why negotiation is never really a one-time thing 20:37 – How culture shapes negotiation (Colombia & France…

People in this episode

Host: Cloud10

Guest: Stan Christensen

Topics covered

• negotiation
• peacemaking
• conflict resolution
• trust building
• cultural differences
• communication skills

Keywords

• negotiation
• peacemaking
• conflict avoidance
• trust
• cultural negotiation
• communication skills
• intractable conflict

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: All Things Negotiation

Places: Colombia, France, Peru, Ecuador

More episodes of Wiser World

• 95. New Zealand: How a Remote Island Became a Modern State · June 10, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Introducing: Hidden History with Dr. Harini Bhat | The Mary Celeste: The Ghost Ship of the Atlantic · June 4, 2026 · 9 min
• 94. Bhutan: Understanding One of the World's Most Unique Countries · June 3, 2026 · 59 min
• 93. Hawai'i: A History Everyone Should Know · May 28, 2026 · 49 min
• 92. Understanding Eid Al-Adha: A Primer for Beginners // Shahnila Ahmad · May 19, 2026 · 50 min
• 91. Eight Qualities of a Peacemaker: What I've Learned as a Student of Peacemaking · May 13, 2026 · 37 min