The biggest part is convincing people on the phone that mediation is a viable option for resolving conflict when they're not familiar with the process of mediation, and the ways in which it is differen t from the traditional court system. It's hard to get them to understand that mediation isn't about trying to assign praise or blame, and to convince them that it is worth their while to participate in the process without making unrealistic assurances. As Mediation Services Coordinator, I schedule mediations, and oversee our volunteer mediator pool, which includes facilitating monthly peer meetings. I also run our conflict assessments, and design tools, techniques, and systems to manage conflicts at an organizational level. I think I have a heightened appreciation for the cultural differences between people, right down to the micro-cultural level.
Culture is ultimately a set of shared rules that people use.
If you understand the dynamics of how that works, it's a lot easier to help people solve their problems. I think I bring a systems approach. I also have a reasonably high level of comfort with conflict, which I think is helpful. I feel that people sometimes go into conflict resolution because they think that they can somehow insulate themselves from conflict that way, which isn't true. Conf lict resolution isn't about avoiding conflict, it's about managing it creatively and productively.