QACP invites you to the next Lunch & Learn 'Toolbox' Series with Robyn Hooworth, Dispute Resolution Consultant, Trainer & Practitioner.

Topic: Rapport building and working with multiparties

Event Details

Date: Tuesday 22 September 2026

Time: 12:00 - 13:00 AEST

Venue: Online via Microsoft Teams

Cost: QACP & AACP Members Free | Non-Members $49

For more information, please contact admin@qacp.org.au.

Please ensure the email address you register with is correct, as all event communications will be sent to this address. The link to join the live-stream will be sent to each ticket holder via email 2 hours before this event through the Humanitix system.

This seminar will be recorded, and the recording will be sent to registered attendees within 7 days.

Topic Summary
This lunch and learn will explore two core tools: rapport building and managing multiparties. It begins by examining rapport building as an influential tool, shaping trust, safety and engagement from the very first interaction. Participants will consider the psychology behind rapport, including threat reduction, emotional regulation and the balance of warmth with neutrality. The session then moves into practical techniques for establishing rapport early, such as attuned greetings, presence and curiosity, followed by the core communication skills that sustain rapport — reflective listening, neutral language and managing emotional energy. This discussion also addresses how to recognise and repair rapport ruptures, and concludes the first topic by linking strong rapport to more flexible negotiation and problem-solving.

The second half focuses on the complexity of working with multiparties, beginning with the unique challenges posed by alliances, power imbalances and information overload. Participants will learn how to prepare effectively through stakeholder mapping, clarifying authority and anticipating coalitions. The session then outlines how to design a structured process with clear agenda sequencing, turn-taking rules and purposeful use of private sessions. Ground rules are discussed as a foundation for fairness, equal airtime and transparency. The lunch and learn continues with strategies for facilitating focused dialogue, summarising themes and managing unproductive debate, while also monitoring group dynamics to prevent dominance and support quieter voices. It concludes with techniques for maintaining momentum, sequencing negotiations strategically and building sustainable agreements that acknowledge every party’s perspective.

About the Presenter | Robyn Hooworth

Australian AMDRAS Advanced Mediator and Accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP); Hong Kong Mediation Accreditation Association Ltd. (HKMAAL) Accredited General Mediator, Family Mediator, Family Mediation Supervisor, Trainer and Lead Assessor

Robyn completed her BSW at the University of Queensland, Australia in 1978 and post graduate studies in family therapy, conflict coaching and dispute resolution thereafter. She worked as a Senior Court Conciliator, in the Family Court of Australia for 5 years in the Canberra and Brisbane Registries before training as a general and family mediator in 1987. This same year Robyn moved to Hong Kong.

Robyn has worked in Private Practice as a mediator / FDRP in Hong Kong (Hong Kong Family Mediation Service) and on the Gold Coast, Australia (Collaborative Mediation Services) for the past 30 years conducting over 5,000 mediations in a range of commercial, family business, divorce and family dispute resolution areas and specialising in high conflict, multi-party and culturally responsive mediations / facilitations and conducting property settlement mediations and child focused and child inclusive family mediations.

Robyn has conducted mediation and dispute resolution training courses across a range of countries such as Australia, UK, France, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong and has presented papers at domestic and international mediation and ADR conferences. She also acts as a consultant and trainer for Global Training and Professional Development Pty Ltd, Australia.

Robyn currently lectures in Family Mediation for Hong Kong University and the College of Law in Australia. She is a Lead Assessor for Stage 2 Mediation Assessment Courses for HKMAAL and is a current director on the AMDRAS Board that oversees the standards for the training and accreditation of mediators in Australia.

Contact the host of QACP Lunch & Learn - Tuesday 22 September 2026