Community mediation centers can now use online mediation not only to help people settle their dispute when they live in different cities, states or even countries. They can also use online mediation to help their own mediators practice and improve their skills. How? By participating (from their home or office) in online simulations with other mediators -- from the same center or from other community mediation centers across the nation.

"How Online Mediation Helps Mediators Practice and Improve Their Skills" is the title of a 1-hour NAFCM (National Association for Community Mediation) webinar Thursday, December 5, 2013, from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm Eastern Time http://goo.gl/gi2z3

During that webinar, three community mediators (listed below) will share their recent experience and "lessons learned" participating for the first time in online mediation simulations of family, commercial and workplace discrimination disputes.

>> Patty Olds - Volunteers of America Northern New England (Maine)
>> Linda Tyrrell - Mediation Center of Greater Green Bay (Wisconsin)
>> Michiko Stas - Volunteers of America Western Washington (Washington)

To watch the video recordings of those simulations, click here http://goo.gl/Fcg8GF

In short, today's video conferencing software makes it very easy (and inexpensive) for community mediators to practice and improve their skills with other mediators across the country. All they need is (1) a PC/Mac or a mobile device (e.g Ipad, Iphone or Android) connected to the Internet; and (2) being aware that:

>> Mediation experience takes learning from your own or other mediators' mistakes
>> It is obviously much better to make mistakes during a simulation than during a real mediation