Talk honestly about your real concerns AND treat the other parties respectfully. This can help you avoid eliciting defensiveness from the other parties and becoming further deadlocked into unproductive discussion. Listen carefully to the concerns of the other party so that you can demonstrate that you understand them. Keep the content of the discussions confidential unless you and the other party agree to share the contents with a specific person or persons. Stay self-focused, rather than talking about the concerns of others who are not part of the mediation.
Mediation can fail when disputants engage in behaviors that elicit the other party's resistance.