Workplace Conflict Resolution Essentials For Dummies, Australian and New Zealand Edition

Chapter 7

Starting a Mediation Meeting and Creating a Working Agenda

In This Chapter

Kicking off a mediation meeting

Reminding employees about roles and responsibilities

Listening to employees’ perspectives

Summarising, reflecting and reframing

Preparing a road map for discussion

In this chapter, I give you skills and techniques to direct the conversation in a meaningful way as well as step-by-step instructions on how to demonstrate your neutrality by reflecting emotions and issues back to the parties. I also share tips on ordering and structuring a productive agenda.

Facilitating Effectively

Mediating a discussion is about reading the situation in a way that puts you in the facilitator’s seat but allows you enough involvement in the discussion to move the conversation forward. It’s not refereeing; it’s guiding. And it’s guiding without the parties feeling manipulated. Stay on top of the conversation without getting too involved in it.

Establishing rapport and making employees ...