How to Prepare for a Mediation
Being prepared for your mediation is essential. Because you are the person in control of what you say and do at the mediation it is important to be organised. The pre-mediation intake session will assist you to prepare. It is important to prepare for the practical side of mediation as well as the emotional side.
You can also prepare for your mediation by thinking about the following:
What issues are in dispute, including the facts and sources of conflict?
What is important to you to resolve the dispute? What do you really want? And why?
How can you communicate this information, both to the mediator and the other participant?
What will you say at the start of the mediation to help identify the key issues and create an agenda?
What do you think the other participant wants? How might they see the issues?
Is what you want in the best interests of your child/ren for their age and physical and emotional needs?
What are some ways that the issues that concern you could be resolved? What could you ask them to do? What could you offer to do?
What is the reality of your situation? What has the dispute cost you already? What will it cost you if it isn’t resolved? What would it cost if you can’t sort it out in mediation and have to go to court?
What are the possible outcomes if you did go to court?
What does my legal advice say?
· Understand your emotions – You should spend some time thinking about how you feel about the dispute. Write them down.
Think about how these feelings may affect you in the mediation. Plan for how you can deal with your emotions if you become upset during the mediation. Perhaps think about some counselling or mediation coaching to assist in managing these strong emotions.
· Plan how to communicate. Spend some time thinking about how best to talk during the mediation. Mediation coaching can also assist with this.
Being prepared will help you stay focused at keep on track. By thinking about the ‘unknowns’ or things you may have been avoiding you will find the anxiety and stress associated with mediation will be less.