The Expert Podcast

I'm proud to say that I'll be speaking at a conference regarding mediation here in a few weeks. The Idaho Mediation Association is an excellent regional conference for certified and licensed mediators, and I've been on their board of directors now for close to a year. This is a great organization, a robust and productive group that produces great results for the mediation industry and for people that are in conflict. This conference will take place on September 26 and 27th.

It has a great panel of speakers, including topics such as managing power differentials in mediation and transforming blame to empathy. Lorraine Agar is an excellent speaker on nonviolent communication; I've known Lorraine for many years. Other topics include using AI in mediation and how to mediate bullying in the workplace. On Friday, the 27th, I'll be speaking about the top seven objections to mediation and how to overcome them. Many times, the disputants in a case— the people who are fighting— resist mediation because of some unfounded resistance to what mediation is all about. They don’t know what it really is going to do or how it’s going to help them. Once many people involved in a dispute find out about the advantages of mediation, they jump at the chance. It's a lot better than going to court, and it’s a lot better than fighting it out with attorneys trying to settle. There are huge advantages, and it’s a lot cheaper.

The use of mediation is incredibly underused, causing people to spend tens of thousands of dollars and many months of their lives on a case that could usually be resolved very quickly. So if you're ever in a conflict with a court case, a family law case, a legal dispute, litigation, or an employment dispute, look at mediation as an option. One of the best features of mediation is that it's voluntary. If you go to mediation and there are people that talk back and forth, you don't have to face your opponent in person. They can keep you in separate corners, and the mediator can go back and forth—this is called shuttle diplomacy. Any offer or suggested resolution can be walked away from at any time. You can say, "Nope, I don't want to do that." If you go to court and the court says, "Here’s what you have to do," you’re forced to do it. You're obligated to take that agreement that the court says. In mediation, you can walk away anytime, so the power is in your court. In many cases, it's the last time you'll have your own power to decide your case.

If you're interested, anyone can attend this conference happening in a couple of weeks. The registration information is in the link below. The annual conference offers many benefits to many people. The theme this year is "The Power and Influence of Mediation," and that's exactly what it does: it gives you the power to influence your outcome, influence your future, and not have to rely on others to determine your fate.

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