The Mediator's Handbook

Book excerpt: The popular The Mediator's Handbook presents a time-tested, adaptable model for helping people work through conflict. Extensively revised to incorporate recent practice and thinking, the accessible manual format lays out a clear structure for new and occasional mediators while offering a detailed, nuanced resource for professionals. Starting with a new chapter on assessing conflict and bringing people to the table, the first section explains the process step by step, from opening conversations and exploring the situation through the phases of finding resolution—deciding on topics, reviewing options, and testing agreements. The "Toolbox" section details the concepts and skills a mediator needs in order to: Understand the conflict Support the people Facilitate the process Guide decision-making Throughout the book, the emphasis is on what the mediator can do or say now, and on the underlying principles and core methods that can help the mediator make wise choices. Long a popular course textbook for high schools, universities, and training programs, The Mediator's Handbook is also a valued desk reference for professional mediators and a practical guide for managers, organizers, teachers, and anyone working with clients, customers, volunteers, committees, or teams. Jennifer E. Beer, PhD, mediates organizational conflicts, facilitates meetings, and offers related workshops, regularly teaching a negotiation course at Wharton (University of Pennsylvania). Caroline C. Packard, JD led Friends Conflict Resolution Programs for fifteen years and is an organizational conflict response specialist and mediator based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Eileen Stief developed the mediation process presented in the Handbook, training a generation of mediators to work with community, multi-party, and environmental disputes.