14Evaluating and Refining Options for Understandings and Agreements

by this time in negotiations, significant energy, time and effort will have been invested by the parties in talks. This fact often encourages them to push forward to reach a negotiated agreement. To do so, however, they will need to evaluate the options that they have generated and assess their viability to adequately address and meet their needs and interests.

Assessing options and their abilities to satisfy disputants' needs and interests to some degree occurs throughout the mediation process. At this stage, however, evaluation is generally more explicit, focused, and often more structured. Also during this stage, parties work with the mediator to refine options or positions ...

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