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Introduction:
What
should a mediator do when he/she doesn't really understand what's going on in a
conflict? George Mason University Professor and civil rights mediator Wallace Warfield,says he/she
should ask the parties what's going on. At the very least, this tactic can buy a
mediator a little time to think things over. This seems to work across a wide
range of cultural settings, Warfield observes.
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This rough transcript provides a text alternative to audio. We apologize for occasional errors and unintelligible sections (which are marked with ???).
Mediation Techniques
Wallace Warfield
Associate Professor at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and
Resolution, George Mason University
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Q: Are there techniques that you find useful?
A: I suppose. One technique that I do, and Frank knows because he's worked with me and
seen me do it on several occasions, is that there are times when I just don't
know what's going on. I don't know what to do next. So I'll stop whatever group
I'm working with, and say, "There's something happening here. What do you
think is actually going on?" I do this in class sometimes, too. I'll say, "What's going on here?" and what it does is it gets people to
pause, and think, "What is going on here?" Then people start talking, and it gives you
just this precious moment to say, "Okay, people are talking." Now, I
think I know what's going on here. People are taking control of the situation
themselves. In other words, they are at that moment, for that transitional
period, being self-facilitative in a manner of speaking. They themselves are
being reflective as well. So I just stop and say, "What's going on here?
What do you think is happening?" I've found that this works across
cultures, in several different kinds of situations.
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