10 Considerations for Mediation
If you intend to make a career out of mediation, you need to consider a lot of things in order to resolve things successfully. Mediating two conflicting parties requires unusual ability to see through things and come up with the best resolution to the issue in conflict. Below are 10 basic principles you need to grasp in order to become an effective mediator
1. Be prepared to make a reasonable investment – mediation requires an investment on your part your time and personal resources. Conflicts need an unusual kind of patience to be resolved. Some even takes years before any resolution is put in place.
2. You must be emotionally and mentally stable – As a mediator, you must possess or at least resolve to possess stability in almost all aspects of your life. You cannot allow yourself to breakdown in the course of a mediation process, thus, you need to project a magnificent strength to reassure both parties that you are well able to handle the mediation. Moreover, you should mediate with utmost rationality and your decision should never be clouded by your emotions.
3. Experience is one of your best allies in resolving any conflict – Before making a commitment to mediate, make sure you have resolved an issue of the same nature before. Your experience should have armed you with enough knowledge to come up with reasonable solutions. Without the aid of experience, you might grope in darkness as you try to resolve, and in the process might jeopardize any hope of reconciliation. So don't even try to mediate when you do not posses enough experience.
4. Make sure to have studied the issue extensively – You must have the ability to gather the purest form of information to aid you with your judgments. Never base your opinion merely by what you hear.
5. Keep things confidential- As a mediator, it won't help if you keep making public whatever you have discussed in private. You might risk alienating the two parties you wish to reconcile, and in the process you might contribute more harm than good.
6. Do not overly assert your authority – As a mediator, it is not within authority to strongly impose what you needed done. Your role should only be to bring about the best possible options and then leave the decision-making to both parties involved.
7. Earn their respect – You efficacy in mediating two warring parties heavily depends upon the amount of respect you have managed to earn from both of them. Your impeccable integrity will speak for yourself and will make both parties respect the wisdom of your opinions and judgments
8. Provide an avenue for people to debate – You must not altogether reject the idea of an open argument in the course of a mediation process. Sometimes, expedient resolutions are borne this way. As long as it will not reach an intensity that elicits violence, let them air their most passionate reasoning.
9. Document everything – Trust both parties but do not leave the commitment undocumented. People, no matter how well-intentioned, may say things they do not really mean. Sometimes they just say it in the spur of the moment and then forget it as readily as they have said the words. To be safe, it is wise that you keep an extensive documentation of all commitments and promises.
10. Conduct the mediation process in a civilized manner – The conflict must be settled in a way that does not necessarily shame the other individual. And violence in all forms must never be tolerated.
1. Be prepared to make a reasonable investment – mediation requires an investment on your part your time and personal resources. Conflicts need an unusual kind of patience to be resolved. Some even takes years before any resolution is put in place.
2. You must be emotionally and mentally stable – As a mediator, you must possess or at least resolve to possess stability in almost all aspects of your life. You cannot allow yourself to breakdown in the course of a mediation process, thus, you need to project a magnificent strength to reassure both parties that you are well able to handle the mediation. Moreover, you should mediate with utmost rationality and your decision should never be clouded by your emotions.
3. Experience is one of your best allies in resolving any conflict – Before making a commitment to mediate, make sure you have resolved an issue of the same nature before. Your experience should have armed you with enough knowledge to come up with reasonable solutions. Without the aid of experience, you might grope in darkness as you try to resolve, and in the process might jeopardize any hope of reconciliation. So don't even try to mediate when you do not posses enough experience.
4. Make sure to have studied the issue extensively – You must have the ability to gather the purest form of information to aid you with your judgments. Never base your opinion merely by what you hear.
5. Keep things confidential- As a mediator, it won't help if you keep making public whatever you have discussed in private. You might risk alienating the two parties you wish to reconcile, and in the process you might contribute more harm than good.
6. Do not overly assert your authority – As a mediator, it is not within authority to strongly impose what you needed done. Your role should only be to bring about the best possible options and then leave the decision-making to both parties involved.
7. Earn their respect – You efficacy in mediating two warring parties heavily depends upon the amount of respect you have managed to earn from both of them. Your impeccable integrity will speak for yourself and will make both parties respect the wisdom of your opinions and judgments
8. Provide an avenue for people to debate – You must not altogether reject the idea of an open argument in the course of a mediation process. Sometimes, expedient resolutions are borne this way. As long as it will not reach an intensity that elicits violence, let them air their most passionate reasoning.
9. Document everything – Trust both parties but do not leave the commitment undocumented. People, no matter how well-intentioned, may say things they do not really mean. Sometimes they just say it in the spur of the moment and then forget it as readily as they have said the words. To be safe, it is wise that you keep an extensive documentation of all commitments and promises.
10. Conduct the mediation process in a civilized manner – The conflict must be settled in a way that does not necessarily shame the other individual. And violence in all forms must never be tolerated.
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