Mediation Skills

Mediation is commonly understood to be an extension of the negotiation process. It involves the intervention of a neutral third party to help disputing parties resolve or manage their disputes and conflicts. While mediator [Page 478]styles and behaviors vary widely, the core understanding of mediation as facilitated negotiation remains. This entry briefly introduces mediation as a problem-solving process, distinguishes it from the adjudication process, and discusses its advantages and disadvantages. It then focuses on two major categories of mediation skills and concludes with a brief discussion of how mediation skills should advance ethical mediation practice.