Final Reflection

Through my leadership classes I have learned a new way of looking back on my educational experiences and discovering the most meaningful aspects of them. The reflections I have done for all of my classes have been an integral part of this journey. The most significant changes I have made comes from the knowledge I have learned about myself and the new found ability to apply it to all areas of life. It has been a journey of self-actualization that will allow me to reach my fullest potential.

"What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization…It refers to the desire for self-fulfillment, namely, to the tendency for him to become actualized in what he is potentially. This tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming."   Abraham Maslow

Does mediation really help?

Success lies partly in the mediator's skills, but also with the readiness of the parties. If someone is bent on keeping conflict going, even the most obvious solutions will not work. If everyone wants to see a conflict end, mediation can be a graceful and efficient way to do so. (The Mediator's Handbook, Jennifer Beer with Eileen Stief)

Solving the Problem

A mediator can help solve the problem by:

Taking notes

Asking the right questions

Negotiating terms

Being aware of interests

Understanding positions

Seeing mediatable issues

Reframing words

Eliciting ideas

Exploring Alternatives

Testing for agreement

Developing sample agreements

Recognizing when no resolution is in sight

Controlling the Process

A mediator controlls the process by:

Directing

Knowing when to intervene

Setting boundaries and groundrules

Summarizing

Restating

Confronting

Protecting

Knowing when to quit

Handling things when they get out of control

Supporting the People

As a mediator you Support the People by

Giving good attention

Acknowledging

Setting a tone

Encouraging

Meeting group needs

Using simple language

Understanding language and hearing difficulties

Having confidentiality in practice

Staying impartial

Understanding cultural patterns

Handling emotionally difficult situations

Mediator's Toolbox

3 kinds of Tools

• Supporting the People
• Controlling the Process
• Solving the Problem

Knowing your tools for each side of the triangle gives you a variety of options in any given moment!

The Conflict Triangle

The Conflict Triangle sorts the spiral element into three categories.

These give mediators a basic framework for assessing the conflict.

People – Every conflict involves personalities, emotions, and a history of relationships.
Process – Intentionally of not, parties take actions which intensify, ease, spread, or resolve a conflict.
Problem – Every conflict has substance – the concerns and needs that are the cause or focus for the dispute.

Any lasting resolution must engage all three sides of the conflict.