When you are participating in a mediation, you will be sitting either in an online conference or you maybe in the same room face-to-face with someone that you’re in conflict with. If this seems to be quite challenging for you you may be concerned that you would become too emotional. Alternatively you may be concerned that your opponent might become too emotional and react in a way that would be hard for you to deal with.

Mediation is all about resolving conflict and the skills of the mediator is such that the mediator will help you to arrive at a better outcome. Often when two people are talking together through a conflict there are no boundaries and if people are getting upset, angry or defensive they may say things they would later regret. But a mediator creates an alternative environment for a much healthier conversation where two parties in dispute can talk reasonably, carefully and respectfully and work their way through various details of the past and present and come to an agreement. 

Before mediation takes place the mediator will have an intake session with each of the parties on their own. During this intake session that Mediator will talk to each party about what they believe are the issues to be discussed at the joint session. The mediator will coach each participant in talking through those issues and if necessary even doing a role-play with the participant as to what they might like to say and what you might be said back to them. The mediator has the skills to prepare each participant such that they are ready and they know what to expect might happen in the joint session. The Mediator will give each participant a greater level of confidence to engage in the conflict resolution process. 

Because the mediator is skilled and trained they have the ability to guide the discussion in such a way that both parties are kept safe and feel that they are being heard and they have the opportunity to say all that they need to say in a respectful and constructive manner. 

The skills that a mediator is trained in include understanding how people think, how they feel, and how they communicate, so that whatever dispute you’re in and whatever the nature and character of your opponent is Mediator will be able to create a helpful and constructive environment so that both parties can listen and speak respectfully and hopefully come to a conclusion. 

So if you’re worried about being too emotional or that your opponent might be too emotional let the Mediator guide you through to a confidence that you will be able to cope with a mediation joint session.

To find out if mediation is right for your situation, ask for a FREE diagnostic Consultation here.