Looking at the Power of Context, I would like to pick up on this part of the question second question for week 2, “The reason that most of us seem to have consistent character is that most of us are really good at controlling our environment.”

 

I think this is very relevant to mediation. I believe that people like to be in control of their lives and will tend to put themselves in situations that allow that to happen.  I also think that when people are in serious negative conflict they may be experiencing a loss of that control, which puts them off balance and affects their behavior.  In these situations people behave in ways that they feel will help them regain control. Because of this I believe that part of my job, as a mediator is to help them regain their balance and sense of control.  I think that once people regain the sense of being in control of their lives they stop fighting so hard to get it back and can open up to listen to other perspective. 

 

I think that the fact of simply being in mediation with a third party puts people in an unfamiliar new environment.  I know that parties to a mediation probably behave differently simply because they are in a new setting and I am sitting at the table with them. I know that I can influence the context.  I need to remember that what drew met to mediation the first place is that it is a form of dispute resolution that can maximize party self-determination. In setting a context our opening words, as mediators can be key. I begin by saying that I view mediation as an opportunity to have a constructive conversation. Parties always nod or say something in agreement to this. I then work with the parties to support them in creating an atmosphere where this can happen for them.  By keeping self-determination in the forefront of my thoughts what I hope is that I can help parties create a new environment or context in which they can constructively deal with the conflict at hand.