I love my subject & can’t wait to get submerged in it for real

I also heard more detail about the upcoming workplace mediation scheme, which will be run by the Civil Mediation Council. This is great news because ne legislation will make it more or less mandatory for employers to consider mediation as a means of solving workplace disputes. I was surprised to hear that a workplace mediation company needs only 2 mediators to become established. Maybe there’ll be a chance for me to establish or join one after graduation.

Another unexpected pleasure was meeting 2 of the people who I had originally taken my certification course with.

The presentation was a great success, and the attendees were stimulated to learn a new approach. For me, it was also a useful opportunity to network with some experienced International & Commercial mediators – unearthing a surprising number of close connections with colleagues of mine.

The University of Westminster is 20 mins walk from my house which is great, and I have a series of lectus to Induct me to the Masters programme, my course, study of Law, and the University facilities.

It all seems to be really well organised – with the LLM students gathered in the main hall for 3 days of presentations covering every aspect of what we need to know.

A lovely coincidence on the first day, found me sitting next to one of the 15 other people on my individual course – a French Law graduate, called Marie.

This is a very exciting day and I’m really excited!

Talk Mediation runs an assistants panel, which I may join. Although I won’t get paid work, it will give me the opportunity to travel around the country assisting mediators, as they operate in many different locations.

I learned a great deal about how the National Mediation helpline functions, including panel registration for different areas and upcoming challenges facing the administration of the helpline.

We started with general chat & an ice-breaker, for once meeting on our own terms with fellow mediators… An quirky bunch of like-minded do-gooders! Unbeknown to any of us however, Adriana had dreamed up a day of those rare but unavoidable “critical moments” which turn a mediation into a potentially dangerous or legally implicated confrontation.

We soon found ourselves diving headlong into racisim, homophobia, angry insulting language, and threats of physical violence. All of these may be directed from or between the clients, and still need to be dealt with using the non-directional framework of seeking out opportunities for empowerment and recognition. This involves confronting an issue as soon as it arises, “calling” the words or behaviour of the person responsible for what is going on, and offering them the chance to deal with the issue in an empowering and constructive way. At the same time, it may mean protecting one party from the behaviour of the other whilst maintaining impartiality and a non-judgemental, non-directive approach.

Choosing language to fit into the framework is always tricky, even when the client is cooperating… But with Adriana playing her wicked characterisations of impossible clients, it really becomes a balancing feat of mental gymnastics to tread through the minefield. The skill comes from finding a way to offer the clients a new direction in the conversation, purely based on what they are or aren’t actually saying about their needs in the moment. It can feel like juggling a dozen invisible balls at once!!

I’m not sure I did that well, struggling to deal with a joint mediation roleplay in which one was insulting the other where the situation was crying out for ground-rules. All my attempts were too timid or subtle, so we really only seemed to inflame and enhance the divide between the clients even further.

Watching other mediators dealing with their role plays, was incredibly enlightening though. Especially Jane, who effortlessly disarmed a pair of racist & insulting clients by asking them perfect questions about what type of conversation they would like to have. Certainly a great example to learn from and so much further to go in my own practice.

The day was split up between conference speakers – prominent figures from the world of mediation – and networking breaks for refreshments. The main themes were how to promote the use of mediation, relevant to all since a survey of delegates showed the average number of mediations performed by each is 5 per year; international perspectives; and whether to promote or regulate recognised standards for the profession.

Initially we heard from the CMC President, Lord Slynn, and Chairman, Sir Henry Brook, who introduced the day’s topics; and Judith Kelbie (one of the tutors on my accreditation course) about the activities of the CMC.

During the morning an impressive array of speakers included Ministry of Justice, Judge Stephen Oliver-Jones, and professionals from both sides of insurance and litigation. It was heartening to hear from individuals who were promoting the use and relevance of mediation from within the legal system, but impossible to miss how unusual they all were among their colleagues. Listening to one after the other tell a similar tale of needing to get the word out, I bagn to fear that mediation has hit an invisible ceiling with a long wait before it is integrated into the general practice of litigation, judiciary and the public at large… What we all want to hear people saying is “Lets settle this in mediation..” instead of “I’ll see you in court”!!

Finally, just before lunch, came an unexpected lift. Stephen Ruttle QC talked in broad concepts about the realms of mediation, its scientific yet intuitive nature, the need for inclusion into social policy for housing estates, schools and communities damaged by antisocial behaviour; and he finished up urging everyone to contribute by demonstrating how powerful community mediation can be and thereby force the government and legal institutions to take note. Stephen’s speech was a turningpoint in the day because he brought us all back to the reason so many of us had become mediators.