Basic Mediation Training

Three-Day Skills Training, Practice, and Feedback 

19.5 Contact Hours

This course introduces the theory, ethics, and core practices of mediation as a facilitated process for conflict resolution. Participants will examine mediator neutrality and impartiality, confidentiality, informed consent, party self-determination, and the stages of the mediation process. Emphasis is placed on developing foundational skills in active listening, reframing, identifying interests, generating options, managing impasse, and supporting parties in reaching voluntary and mutually acceptable agreements.

1) Course Goals

• Prepare participants to serve effectively in a basic co-mediation process.
• Develop competence in the core communication, conflict-management, and problem-solving skills required of mediators.
• Teach participants how to guide disputing parties through the stages of mediation while maintaining neutrality, confidentiality, procedural fairness, and participant self-determination.
• Provide substantial practice, coaching, and feedback through structured role plays and simulated mediations.

2) Learner Objectives

• Explain the purpose, principles, stages, and limits of mediation and identify when mediation is or is not an appropriate process.
• Open a mediation, establish expectations, explain confidentiality, and clarify the mediator’s role.
• Use active listening, effective questions, neutral paraphrasing, summarizing, and reframing to support communication between parties.
• Identify and distinguish positions, interests, concerns, and underlying needs.
• Manage high emotion and use verbal de-escalation techniques while maintaining impartiality.
• Recognize and respond appropriately to power dynamics that may affect meaningful participation.
• Use caucuses appropriately and understand their benefits, limits, and confidentiality implications.
• Facilitate option generation, reality testing, evaluation of possible solutions, and agreement development.
• Draft clear, specific, realistic, and mutually understood mediation agreements.
• Coordinate effectively with a co-mediator throughout the mediation process.
• Apply foundational mediation ethics and confidentiality standards in simulated cases.

3) Learner Outcomes

• Participants can conduct the major stages of a basic mediation using a co-mediation model.
• Participants can demonstrate neutral and impartial communication skills during difficult conversations.
• Participants can help parties move from stated demands toward exploration of interests, needs, and possible solutions.
• Participants can manage emotional intensity and maintain a constructive process without taking over decision making from the parties.
• Participants can recognize common ethical, confidentiality, and power-related concerns and respond appropriately within the mediator role.
• Participants can facilitate the development and testing of options and document agreements in clear language.
• Participants leave with direct role-play experience, trainer and peer feedback, and a mediation manual for continued practice.

4) Core Skills

• Mediation process management
• Co-mediation
• Active and reflective listening
• Effective questioning
• Neutral paraphrasing
• Summarizing
• Reframing
• Interest and needs identification
• Position-interest distinction
• Emotion management
• Verbal de-escalation
• Mediator neutrality and impartiality
• Power-dynamics awareness
• Caucusing
• Option generation
• Reality testing
• Agreement drafting
• Ethics and confidentiality
• Giving and receiving skills feedback