Alain Babineau
GDCR '12
| Degrees: | B.Soc.Sci. (Ottawa), B.A. (Carleton), GDCR |
Having retired in the fall of 2016 after a long career in law enforcement (27 years with the RCMP), I began a new journey as a full-time law school student. I have remained connected to the GDCR program and involved in insight skills coaching, particularly in policing.
As a police manager, I felt that I needed to acquire and cultivate the skills necessary to tackle conflict in the workplace. I was particularly attracted to the practical portion of the program, and the opportunity to practice applying the theories learned to realistic scenarios. I believe the program helped me develop my listening skills and my curiosity, to help me get behind the issues and help the parties find their own solutions to their conflict.
Although I was already employed while taking the program, as a Manager I could hone my skills immediately and daily upon graduation, having to deal with real-life conflicts situations in my work environment.
Upon graduating from the program, I immediately volunteered to become a coach and help other students practice their skills. I found it to be a great way for me to continue learning about mediation and fine tune my own skills, while at the same time remain connected to a community of learning. I also subsequently took a conflict coaching workshop, which helped me to continue to refine my basic skills such as listening and questioning. In the spring of 2016, I attended a workshop at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia on the use of the Insight Technique in policing. As a result, along with another graduate of the GDCR program, we developed a workshop which we delivered to a group of Trinidadian police officers, in Ottawa in November 2016.