Rethinking Basic Mediation Training: Essential Skills
Basic Mediation Training – An Essential Foundation for Mediators There is a reason why so many aspiring mediators enter the profession by completing a 40-hour basic mediation training course. Basic mediation training builds the essential foundation of knowledge, skills, and ethical awareness required to manage conflict effectively. It introduces core principles such as neutrality, active […]
How to Choose an Online Mediation Training Course: What Actually Matters
Since the Covid-19 shutdown and the increase in remote working, there has been an increase in online mediation training courses. While this reinforces the positive trend toward mediation, it also heralds the need for greater scrutiny and discernment between course offerings. Before you jump at the first course you see, look closely at the following […]
A Roadmap to Build a Successful Mediation Career
Many students in our mediation training programs ask about the steps they should take to translate their professional training into a successful mediation career. While an education and a high-quality mediation training program are essential for laying the foundation of a career, they are not the ultimate indicators of a successful career in mediation. What […]
A Case for Forgiveness in Mediation
What is the Role of Forgiveness in Mediation? Forgiveness can be a powerful and transformative element in mediation and conflict resolution. While forgiveness in mediation is not always the main goal, it can create a conducive environment for amicably resolving conflicts. The case for forgiveness in mediation stems not just from its potential to facilitate […]
How to Become a Mediator in California
Opportunities for mediators in California continue to expand. In a state of its size with a large and diverse population and a robust economy exposed to market-driven and social pressures, the number of disputes is bound to rise. And rising caseloads are straining judicial resources, causing backlogs of cases and delays for disputants in getting […]
The Value Proposition of Mediation – Understanding the Cost of Conflict
What is The Cost of Conflict? The cost of conflict is central to the value proposition of mediation because it highlights—both tangibly and intangibly—what mediation helps individuals and organizations avoid. In essence, the greater the costs of unresolved or poorly managed conflict, the more valuable mediation becomes as an alternative. Conflict is a naturally occurring […]
The Disappearing Jury Trial and Other Insights for Mediators
As the era of the ‘disappearing jury trial’ unfolds, mediators and legal advocates alike must adapt to a shifting paradigm where resolution via dialogue increasingly replaces a verdict in court. Thirty years ago this past week, I walked away from my partnership in a San Francisco litigation firm to develop a market for a decidedly […]
A Dent in the Universe
As we approach the August 7th 2019 United Nations Convention and signing ceremony promoting international settlement agreements resulting from mediation, it is timely that we pause to reflect on the many and significant strides that have been made around the world toward promoting the use of mediation to resolve conflict. As Steve Jobs famously said, […]
Heroes and Capes
On March 18, 1997, 3 years after the Rwandan genocide officially ended, the Interahamwe militia from the Democratic Republic of Congo entered the Nyange Secondary School in western Rwanda as part of their murderous rampage and ordered the students to separate, Tutsi on the left and Hutu on the right. The students replied that there […]
Rebecca Westerfield, Making People Feel Comfortable
One of our exceptional Edwards Mediation Academy instructors is Rebecca Westerfield. Rebecca has been mediating for over 22 years and has settled and arbitrated over 2,500 cases throughout the United States and internationally. One of the qualities I most admire about Rebecca is her wonderful way of making people feel comfortable and understood. On becoming […]