I was struck last week at the panel presentation on conflict by how hungry folks can be for tips on how to handle conflict on our own with techniques that mediators use. When a mediator is at work, it’s an essential part of the process that the person is neutral and not a party to the dispute or even interested personally on how it is resolved. Obviously, that’s a big distinction between “do it yourself” and having a third party assist in a mediation process.
However, some of the techniques mediator use can be helpful in conflict prevention, reduction, and resolution. More next time on some specifics.
