Selling Mediation

Leading up to our Selling Mediation workshop later this year, we thought it would be helpful to explore this subject a little.

Selling mediation seems at first sight to be something that many of us will naturally shy away from. Mediators, after all, are not part of a salesforce or work in a consumer based sector. They are not motivated by sales targets or financial results. So why would we use the phrase selling? It is because here in the UK community mediation does need to be sold. Many people who are in conflict have never heard of mediation - they may confuse it with meditation or even medication! For others they may have either a limited understanding or the entirely false understanding of what mediation is. But there is more to the word selling. For ‘selling’ implies a commitment, positivity and an eagerness from the mediator to help people engage and “buy in” to the process.

 

 

People who are in conflict will have experienced a range of emotions, from anger, fear, to being upset, to name a few. Working with people who are, quite understandably, are experiencing strong emotions about the conflict in their life, is a skill in itself. As a mediator, you are there to help people in sorting out their conflict and moving forward with their lives.

Some mediators, those in fact that I would term as purists, would say that because a mediator is impartial they cannot sell mediation. They can deliver the facts about the process and some of the benefits but that is all. We at the Scottish Community Mediation Centre however would go further. We feel it is the responsibility of a mediator to not only explain mediation - both the process and the benefits, but to help parties decide whether mediation is for them. This would involve exploring their hopes and their fears, what concerns they have and to - where appropriate - provide reassurance. It is, I hasten to add, not the job of the mediator to insist that a party uses mediation, it is not a “hard sell”. After all, here in the UK mediation is voluntary.

So why might somebody wish to use mediation? Firstly, in many situations but certainly in neighbour disputes, where a service exists within a local authority area, it is free at the point of use. It is informal, and voluntary and a comparatively quick way to help neighbours move forwards and sort out difficulties. It allows all parties in the process to have their say, to be involved to help develop an agreement.

So what are the main barriers to using mediation? Our training workshop explores some of the most common barriers and helps learners to explore and – where appropriate – assist clients in moving beyond these barriers. For more information about this workshop visit our training section

Tags: mediation
Loading