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Being Impartial: A blog

One of the key principles of being a mediator is being impartial. This is something that in our training we spend some time exploring. We also provide participants time to practise being impartial. So why is it so important and perhaps so difficult to achieve?

A mediator in a mediation meeting is there with the clients not to judge what each client is saying but rather to help each of them hear what the other has to say. To help them hear an alternative version of events. By being impartial the mediator sets out their role to the client; they are not there to advocate, they’re not there to support their version of events. It can be a challenging place to inhabit. Why so challenging? 

In everyday life we make judgements of the world around us on a daily basis. When we sit in a meeting or read the news, we ask ourselves “do we believe this person?” and we ask ourselves “do we agree with this person?” Whether it be a politician, a spokesman for an institution or a celebrity we often ask ourselves these questions. I would go as far as to say that today we are surrounded by judgements. You may read that last sentence and disagree. However, if you replace the word ‘judgements’ with ‘opinions’ perhaps you can understand what I mean. So to disentangle ourselves from automatically giving an opinion (judgement) is a skill that requires some learning.

The other thing that a mediator needs to work through to remain impartial is prejudice. We all have some kind of prejudice if we are being honest to ourselves. We might find an accent or a particular situation and feel ourselves taking an illogical dislike to a particular person. To be effective as a mediator, we have to work hard to identify our prejudice and to work through it, to ask ourselves “what is my role here?” and “is taking a dislike helpful to me?” To recognise and put aside a prejudice when being a mediator helps us remain impartial.

Finally, the mediator is there to help both clients move forward, help build a better understanding of each other and move towards a compromise. If the mediator remains impartial during this process, they can be seen by the clients to do this honourably. This is where the role of the mediator is invaluable to the clients.