Understanding mediation

ADR, Conflict, Developing the Field, Dispute Resolution, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Understanding mediation

(University of New South Wales)/ /1 Comment

(This post is being republished because of technical problems when it was first published). Studying and teaching with Professor Frank E.A. Sander at Harvard in the late 80’s was life changing. The energy and vision he showed – going right back to his presentation at the 1976 Pound Conference – persuaded me that fundamental changes…

Bias, Cognitive Bias, Commercial Mediation, Decision making, Developing the Field, Dispute Resolution, Future of mediation, Mediation and Society, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Mediators’ Conduct, Neuroscience, peace negotiations, Personal Development, Policy, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Promoting Mediation, Public Policy, Reflective Practice, Scotland, shuttle mediation, Skills, Social intelligence, Success in mediation, The role of the mediator, Tips, Transformation, Trust, Uncategorized, Understanding mediation

(Core Solutions Group)/ /Leave a comment

“I’ve been trying to tell you, but you didn’t listen. You’ve got to go down more deeply and take more time, you’re rushing it and it’s too superficial. You’re hardly disturbing the surface. You’ll make no progress that way. And you are using so much effort. Relax. When you get into difficulty, you are expending…

caucus, Commercial Mediation, Developing the Field, Experts, General, Joint Sessions, Lawyers, lawyers in mediation, Mediation Lawyering, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Mediation Users/Clients, Reflective practise, Scotland, Stages of mediation, The role of the mediator, Understanding mediation

(Core Solutions Group)/ /Leave a comment

Much has been said and written about the demise of the joint meeting in mediation. In my experience, such a view is premature and, I fear, is potentially wasteful of the power that mediation brings for creative problem-solving. I am also aware of how much the clients and others appreciate a creative approach to the…

Developing the Field, Efficiency, Future of mediation, Lawyers, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), Understanding mediation

(ADR Center Romania)/ /Leave a comment

This post was inspired by conversations with a group of people that I’ve joined last weekend for an amazing field trip in Southern Carpathians. In addition to breath-taking landscapes, mountains are teaching us many lessons, including listening, patience, hope and diversity of paths and destinations. Therefore, mountain walks are not only excellent opportunities for exercises…

Below the line, Clients, Commercial Mediation, Communication, Community Mediation, Conflict, Conventional wisdom, Creativity, Dialogue, Dispute Resolution, Due Process, General, Instinct, Intuition, mediation as a career, Mediation Outcomes, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Mediation Users/Clients, Mediators’ Conduct, Perception, Playbook, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Reflective practise, Skills, Tips, Transformation, Understanding mediation

(Bill Marsh Mediator)/ /11 Comments

It’s not easy to blog once a month, even on a subject I love. Often I sit down to write with no real ideas or inspiration. Sometimes I end up that way too (as you may have noticed!). It becomes easy to dread the approach of my monthly publication date. Often the pressure lies in…

ADR, Dispute Resolution, Future of mediation, Lawyers, Legal Practice, Litigation, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Mediation Users/Clients, Negotiation, Understanding mediation

(Jeff Trueman Mediator)/ /2 Comments

As Chip and Dan Heath describe in their book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, we are rational beings with a “Rider” that logically analyzes our surroundings. Our Rider tries to direct our emotional side, “the Elephant.” Although we like to think our Rider is in control at all times, in truth,…

Clients, Conflict, Developing the Field, mediation models, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Research, Uncategorized, Understanding mediation

(University of Strathclyde) and (Mediation Hertfordshire)/ /Leave a comment

Try this thought experiment: imagine a mediator without empathy. How and what would they do? Would there be drawbacks? Benefits? The response to these questions probably depends on our own experience of empathy. This simple yet often misunderstood term masks a complex and fascinating set of ideas about human connection. Because we believe empathy is…

Dispute Resolution, mediation as a career, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Understanding mediation

(Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London)/ /Leave a comment

It was a comment made a few months ago and it has stayed with me: “But Anna, mediators are all tree-huggers.” There have been many variants of this type in response to my answer to the very English question: “So, what do you do?” These comments continue to irk me. Finally, as this year draws…

Commercial Mediation, Decision making, Dispute Resolution, Future of mediation, Joint Sessions, Lawyers, lawyers in mediation, mediated settlement agreement, Mediation Agreement, Mediation Lawyering, Mediation Outcomes, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Mediators’ Conduct, Negotiation, Promoting Mediation, Scotland, Settlement Agreements, shuttle mediation, Stages of mediation, Success in mediation, Tips, Transformation, Understanding mediation

(Core Solutions Group)/ /Leave a comment

A whole day of mediation without a “joint meeting”. The only time the lawyers met was to begin drafting the settlement agreement. The experts played no part. The day before, the principals had exchanged correspondence deprecating perceived personal insults directed at professional advisers which, it was felt, had damaged reputations. This was a long-running commercial…

Australia, Developing the Field, Ethics, Future of mediation, lawyers in mediation, mediation models, Mediation Outcomes, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Neutrality, Uncategorized, Understanding mediation, Workplace Mediation

(University of Strathclyde)/ /4 Comments

Have you ever wondered who mediators are helping? The parties, obviously! Well, not so obvious to our critics. In this blog I consider worries about mediation’s approach to manifest injustice before making the case for understanding the mediator as co-creator, with the parties, of outcomes. I argue that co-creation enhances the prospects for justice. Stories…