Mediation Skills Course

You’ll shadow Bruce Edwards through a complete two-party commercial mediation, from opening statement to signed agreement. Real. Unscripted. Unedited.

Most mediation courses use brief role play snippets to illustrate a single skill. This one shows you a complete, unscripted mediation, so you see how every decision ripples through the entire process.

Watching a real mediation is different from reading about one. This course gives you a front-row seat to the judgment calls, pivots, and pressure points that separate an impasse from a signed agreement.

What students are saying

“The course was fantastic, one of the best CLE courses I have ever taken. The shadowing experience was the greatest teaching tool. I found myself watching the video again and again to catch every instance where the discussion points came alive in the mediation itself.”

— John Kevin Moore, Attorney, California

Is This Course For You?

This course is for you if you are:

✓ A lawyer or attorney looking to add mediation to your practice, or ready to leave litigation behind entirely

✓ A retiring or semi-retired judge ready to put decades of dispute experience to work in a new way

✓ A therapist, educator, engineer, or other professional who wants to help people resolve conflict and build a career around it

Demand for qualified mediators is growing across the US, from court-connected programs to commercial and employment disputes. EMA graduates are working in all of them.

Who You'll Learn From

EMA’s 13 expert practitioners have a combined 400+ years of full-time mediation experience. They are not academics who study conflict. They are the practitioners who shaped how mediation is taught and practiced worldwide.

40 hours of instruction. 29 CLE credits approved by the California State Bar, with reciprocal approval in many states. Lifetime community membership and a 30-day money-back guarantee. That works out to less than $25 an hour for training you’ll use the rest of your career.

Mediation Skills Course

$997.00

After this course, you will:

Know how to design and lead a mediation from opening to resolution
Recognize and navigate the emotional currents that derail most disputes
Apply negotiation strategies the way the best practitioners actually use them
Understand how culture and bias shape every conversation at the table
Have 40 hours of training recognized by the California State Bar for CLE credit
Join a community with lifetime access to quarterly webinars, member updates, discounts on future courses and more.

How you'll learn:

You’ll shadow Bruce Edwards through a two-party commercial mediation, from start to finish, unscripted
Watch and hear 13 world-class practitioners break down the moments that change outcomes
See exactly how theory becomes decision in real time, not in a staged role play
Learn on any device, on your schedule, with full 6-month access

What you'll learn:

The key principles of mediation and how to apply them in real disputes
How to read and navigate the emotional currents that derail most cases
Negotiation strategy as the best practitioners actually use it
How culture and bias shape every conversation at the table
Communication techniques that build trust even with the most difficult parties
How to design a mediation process that fits the needs of every party

…and much more

Learn at your Own Pace on any Device

40-hours of interactive and comprehensive instruction

Insights from 13 world-class experts

“Being in the room” virtually when Bruce mediates a case from start to finish

Assessment and feedback at the end of each module

6-month course access… because life can get in the way sometimes

CLE Credits

Discounts

Learn at your Own Pace on any Device

40 Hours of Interactive Instruction

14 Expert Instructors

Shadow (virtually) as Bruce mediates a case from start to finish

Assessments and Feedback

6 Month Course Access

Discounts

CLE Credits

Each module includes: EMA experts sharing their real world, practical knowledge with students. Try It! exercises and a final assessment provide opportunities to test and expand your skill set.

Introduction to the Principles of Mediation – Foundational knowledge to guide beginning mediators

Convening Techniques in Mediation – A systematic look at what mediators can do to prepare for mediation

Communication Techniques in Mediation – Effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills

Apology and Forgiveness in Mediation – Considered the “Gold Standard” in dispute resolution when done properly

Opening Techniques in Mediation – How to create an atmosphere of safety and hope in mediation process

Emotion in Mediation – Emotional competency differentiates the average mediators from the gifted ones

Culture & Bias in Mediation – Teaches mediators how to recognize and acknowledge impact of culture and bias in the mediation process

Negotiation Skills in Mediation – Also known as “exploring the art of the possible”

Ethics in Mediation – Teaches ethical issues that frequently occur in mediation

Careers in Mediation – Build a career with almost limitless potential and satisfaction

Here’s what some of our graduates say about our Mediation Skills Course

I found the Edwards Mediation Academy to be immensely valuable. The Academy structure, wherein the skills taught in the course are taught one-at-a-time in modules, and each skill is modeled through the example of a fictional (but highly realistic) case that is mediated by Bruce Edwards, was excellent. Bruce brings both a legal and psychological orientation to mediation, and his approach to understanding the parties' psychological needs gives the Academy a depth that probably is unique among such programs. Finally, the Academy draws on the experiences of many well-known and highly experienced mediators, and this also adds to the breadth and depth of the Academy's lessons.
Mark Zemelman, neutral, Signature Resolution and American Arbitration Association

"The overall teaching was effective just based on the expert's experience. I appreciated how everyone's teaching method was based upon his/her professional experience."
- Mediator from Rwanda

"I found all the modules interesting and an eye-opener. The module on emotions was particularly interesting to me for my personal and professional growth. In all my 35 years as a legal practitioner only now do I appreciate the role emotions play in dispute resolution. From a personal perspective, the modules have opened my eyes to dealing with emotions and understanding their place in personal and family relationships."
- Mediator from the US

"Bruce is very knowledgeable in mediation and very good at delivering the course. He not only trains you in the theories and skills of mediation but also gives you lifetime examples from his practice which jogs your memory to relate the course to your in-person experiences. The course he has designed is unique in that it focuses on mediator skills. This course taught me not only to look at the parties and disputes before me but primarily to focus on examining myself with the intent of ensuring that I am appropriately armed with the skills of mediation to help the parties."
- Mediator from the US

Where EMA Graduates Go

Our graduates serve on court-connected mediation panels, build private mediation practices, and mediate employment, commercial, and community disputes across the US. The Careers in Mediation module shows you how to find your own path, whatever profession you’re coming from.

Purchase the Mediation Skills Course and learn mediation in a whole new way!

Related Courses

Advanced Mediation Skills Training: continue your learning with complex case strategies and negotiation design.
Mediation Lawyer Course: for lawyers seeking better client outcomes in mediation.