Mediation Guidelines

Mediating is a commonly used skill—whether you are at home, at work or at school, you have already tried mediating between two aggrieved parties. Simply put, mediation is a technique used in amicably settling the dispute or differences between two or more persons or groups.

Mediating is a crucial skill and the ability of a person to settle a dispute can either make or break the entire purpose of a mediation session. Moreover, if you are asked to teach mediation to a certain group of people, you have to be extra careful with the words you say. Here are important mediation guidelines which you have to emphasize as you teach mediation.

When you teach mediation, the ability to deliver an opening statement should be given a great emphasis. The opening line of a mediator should be prepared well. One important thing to remember when you teach mediation is to emphasize the importance of not making a judgment as you open the table for discussion.

People who teach mediation should be able to imbibe the practice of setting expectations before you start. The expectations will serve as your goal for the entire mediation session, in a sense that both parties should be eyeing on a single target.

Another important guideline when you teach mediation is to be fair to both parties. It is important to stand by the rules you have set on the table. When you say five minutes will be allotted to state their sides, it should not exceed the said time frame… and the same should apply to the other parties.

Lastly, allowing timeouts for both parties is a crucial thing, too when you teach mediation. Timeouts will provide a moment for both parties to calm down, settle and fix their thoughts. Without these moments, a mediation session will most likely result to a heated argument which will not lead to any possible settlement or resolution.

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