Facilitation is a process used to help a group of people or parties have constructive discussions about complex, or potentially controversial issues. The facilitator provides assistance by helping the parties set ground rules for these discussions, promoting effective communication, eliciting creative options, and keeping the group focused and on track. Facilitation can be used even where parties have not yet agreed to attempt to resolve a conflict.
Mediation is voluntary, informal, and confidential.
The mediator helps the disputants to communicate clearly, to listen carefully, and to consider creative ways for reaching resolution. The mediator makes no judgments about the people or the conflict, and issues no decision. Any agreement that is reached must satisfy all the disputants. All these ADR techniques involve a neutral third party, a person who assists others in designing and conducting a process for reaching agreement, if possible. The neutral third party has no stake in the substantive outcome of the process.