Mediation

What is 'Mediation?'

Mediation is an activity carried out by a third party to help solve disputes between two or more parties. Mediators engage in dialogue with disputants, working towards bringing the opposing sides closer together.

Mediators maintain a neutral stance, while carrying out activities to assist each side to better understand the concerns of the other. Activities include asking questions, seeking clarification, probing unclear meanings and ensuring discussion is civil and stays on track.

 
Mediators seek common ground between disputants on which disputants can build their own solutions. Parties sometimes communicate through the mediator rather than directly to each other.

Features of Mediation

• A non-judgemental hearing
• Concerns are taken seriously
• Calmness, coherence and reasonableness
• Opportunities for each side to speak freely
• A non-confrontationary, relaxed atmosphere
• The presence of fairness, trust and openness
• Good listening with compassion and understanding
• Support where needed if there is a power imbalance
• Both sides are treated with respect by each other and by the mediator
  

Mediators need to be informed of the details of the dispute. They may carry out interviews prior to mediation. Their task is to build a scaffold between parties, gently guiding each side towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Mediation is used by private individuals and workplaces for a wide array of disputes, such as family or relationship problems, workplace grievances or personality clashes.

‘Neither can I be angry with my brother or fall foul of him: for he and I were born to work together,
like a man’s two hands, feet, or eyelids, or like the upper and lower rows of his teeth. To obstruct
each other is against Nature’s law – and what is irritation or aversion but a form of obstruction?’
(Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 161AD)