Don't rush the storytelling process!
Mediator Skills in the Storytelling process
Listening
Questioning
Restating
Reflecting
Reframing
Acknowledgment
Summarizing
Listening
- Listening should be active
- Understand the emotions that are expressed
- The facts that are revealed
- The positions - what they want
- The interests - why they want it
- "Tell us why that is important to you..."
Storytelling
- Alternative to "information gathering" or "fact finding"
- Ask the participants how they would like to start and agree on how to proceed:
- "Tell us what brought you to mediation?"
- "What is happening?"
- Mediator watches and listens to the stories
- How the stories are characterized
- The interaction between the parties
- Important to hear the other's perspective
- Ideally time is balanced
Mediation
Basic Skills
Questioning
- Show curiosity for the other
- Open up more of the story - want to you more open-ended questions
- Open-ended questions require more in-depth answers
- "Tell me about..."
- "I'd like to know how that made you..."
- Avoid asking too many questions - you do not want the disputant to feel picked on
Mediation: a confidential, voluntary process where a neutral third party facilitates negotiation between two or more parties with mutually acceptable agreement as one possible outcome.
Stages of Mediation
Introduction
- Introduction of mediators and parties
- Words of encouragement
- Explanation of process and definitions of mediation and the mediator's role
- Ground rules or communication guidelines
- Confidentiality provisions
- Caucus possibility
- Signing the agree to mediate
- Asking questions
1) Introduction
2) Storytelling: identifying interests; defining the problem
3) Problem solving
4) Resolution
Restating - paraphrasing the content of what was said
Reflecting - reflecting feelings
Reframing - form of restating; restate from the altered perspective; a constructive move
- Introduction of mediators and parties
- Words of encouragement
- Explanation of the process and definitions of mediation and the mediator's role
- Time constraints (if appropriate)
- Ground rules for communication guidelines
- Confidentiality
- Signing the agreement to mediate
- Asking questions
3 R's
Introduction