Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Monday Nights in Training

The last two Monday nights, 15 of us have gathered for advanced mediation training. The group is wonderful and diverse. Men and women from 21 to 77 years old. The presentations and practice sessions have been rich and rewarding. The discussions have been particularly insightful and thought provoking. Below is a list of some of the topics and questions we will tackle during these sessions.

  • How do you stay neutral?
  • How do you work with power dynamics?
  • Transitions from mediation to other roles we must play (supervisor, e.g.)
  • Are religion and cultural heritage part of the history we take into account
  • How does it work when ideas of right or wrong are at the core
  • When to hang a case to a professional
  • Way to show insights without losing your role
  • What to do when you feel people are ready to give up (& so are you)
  • How to relate mediation to work place and school
  • How to teach skills to participants during mediation
  • Accountability
  • When or if to present solutions and suggestions
  • Issue focus or focus on person
  • Aggression in the background
  • Unbalanced numbers on each side of the table- what to do
  • When is it a retreat?
  • When is it Mediation or Facilitation?
  • Conflict- ongoing bad behavior needs to stop
  • Teach people to listen and how to encourage people to speak up for themselves
  • Men and Women and Emotions- Gender issues
  • What to do if conflict has become addictive
  • How can we create a desire for resolution?

In Community,

John