{"id":11979,"date":"2023-11-09T14:55:07","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T13:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.inkovema.de\/?p=11979"},"modified":"2023-11-09T22:18:29","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T21:18:29","slug":"roundup-post-2023-offering-mediation-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.inkovema.de\/en\/blog\/roundup-post-2023-offering-mediation-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"Roundup-Post 2023 – Offering mediation skills"},"content":{"rendered":"

Offering tips and suggestions on mediation skills - not only for mediators<\/h1><\/div><\/div>

The research report on the decline in the number of lawsuits filed with German civil courts (download<\/a>(Attention, extensive 400 pages!) has shown that Mediation is still rarely requested by conflict parties<\/strong> and – casually expressed – \"sold rather than bought\"<\/strong> becomes. This research report thus confirms the trends of the 2017 evaluation of the Mediation Act.<\/p>\n

Hence our question for 2023:<\/em><\/p>\n

Against this backdrop, what advice would you give to newly trained mediators so that their Mediation skills and conflict counselling skills are also required in practice<\/strong>whether as internal or external advisors to organisations and other social systems (associations, administrations, neighbourhoods, families, etc.)?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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INKOVEMA Roundup Post 2023 (#08)<\/p>\n<\/div>

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1 Thomas Robrecht<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Bavaria
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Organisational consultant, trainer, coach and mediator.<\/h5>\n
Website: www.sokrateam.de<\/a><\/em><\/h5>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Search many opportunities<\/strong>to make personal contact with potential customers. When people talk about conflicts, listen carefully and actively to what is bothering them. Make sure and ask questions to build empathy and gain the trust of the other person, and once you have succeeded in doing so, you can let them know that you are an expert in supporting them in such situations. Only use the term \"mediation\" when you are sure that it has a positive connotation for the other person and when they show interest and ask you for solutions, don't say \"mediation\"<\/strong>but point out that you first need to understand the goal before you can point out a path. Therefore, first ask about the target state that the other person wants to achieve. Have this state described to you in detail. When your counterpart realises that you have understood the target state and your counterpart trusts you, you can make a suggestion for overcoming the difference between the current ACTUAL and the future TARGET. Sometimes it makes a lot of sense to avoid using methodological or technical terms such as mediation, team development, coaching, etc,<\/strong> as half-knowledge is often projected onto these terms or negative experiences have been made. Therefore, describe what you are doing as \"enabling cooperation\". And only offer it if that is exactly what is needed. Otherwise, recommend something else. Whatever you recommend, make sure that it offers your counterpart added value that they can recognise. Only then will the door to an order open.<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2. Janett Dudda-Gehrig<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Leipzig
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Psychologist, systemic counsellor, mediator<\/h5>\n
Website: www.janettdudda.de<\/a><\/h5>\n
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I have been working mainly with executives from the digital economy since 2017. My field of mediation is therefore mainly professional conflicts in the workplace.<\/p>\n

After completing my mediation training, I was surprised that none of my clients asked for mediation – although I had done the training in order to be able to provide even better support to the companies whose conflicts I have been mediating since I started my own business.<\/p>\n

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In the meantime, I've started to get to know the managers I work with, actively use the option of mediation for conflicts in the workplace,<\/strong> with colleagues or as a „last attempt“ before a measure under labour law to point out<\/strong>. As a result, some people contacted us immediately and made appointments to try to save employees whose dismissal was seen as the only way out of a tricky situation.<\/p>\n

In my experience, no employer makes it easy to dismiss an employee, so suggestions as to what else could be tried are gladly accepted.<\/p>\n

What hardly anyone is familiar with is the use of a mediator for conflicts that are considered less difficult. I have had good experience of offering myself as a moderator of the conflict in the first step and then deciding, depending on the situation (e.g. do I already know the parties or not; can I be neutral, etc.), whether mediation by me or my colleagues is the most suitable method.<\/p>\n

The best customers are the ones you already have<\/strong> – I therefore recommend proactively approaching existing customers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

3 Prof Dr Siegfried Greif<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Osnabr\u00fcck
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Coach and management consultant<\/h5>\n
Institute for Business Psychological Research and Consultancy GmbH (IwFB), Osnabr\u00fcck<\/h5>\n
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Mediation often involves much more demanding tasks than coaching. After all, the trust of not just one, but several people is essential! It can therefore be much more difficult to start a career in mediation than in coaching. Mediators should therefore as process experts for constructive communication culture<\/strong>to get an easier start in the professional field. And if you focus on communication behaviour in an environment, you will always encounter conflicts or misunderstandings. A high level of sensitivity to these conflicts is important for success.<\/p>\n

You can listen to Prof Dr Greif's views on mediation in full in our podcast „Gut durch die Zeit“ (episode #140).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

4th Imke Trainer and R\u00fcdiger Hausmann<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Cologne
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Mediator<\/h5>\n
Website: www.rheinmediation.de<\/a><\/h5>\n
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In order for the competences of newly trained mediators to be truly assessed, we believe that the following are needed a fundamental change of perspective in relation to what we sell<\/strong>. Because we are convinced that nobody buys mediation. And at the same time: people pay for the fact that the outcome of the conflict is better with you than without you.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
We have noticed that we mediators have been trying to sell a format for years. This is exactly where we believe change is needed. What seems to us to be much more effective is doing relationship work. Formulated as individual advice: Show yourself and deliver a work sample of your skills as often as possible. By building relationships with the clients who would like to book you. Show yourself, show your work<\/strong>then your customer knows who he is buying as a personality.<\/span><\/div>\n
Our collective advice to us mediators: Let's become bolder in showing ourselves and our work instead of hiding behind an abstract format.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

5 Dr Stephan Proksch<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Vienna
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Mediator and management consultant<\/h5>\n
Website: www.trialogis.at<\/a><\/em><\/h5>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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I would recommend not selling a method (e.g. mediation), but a solution to a problem. Customers are primarily interested in the solution to their current problems. Therefore, the Offers also describe concrete solutions<\/strong>such as \"inheritance without dispute\" and the like.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, I advise you to Search for a niche<\/strong>which complements and expands the competences brought along.<\/p>\n

And finally, I believe it is advisable to not to position yourself exclusively as a mediator<\/strong>but as someone who has a wide range of different skills, such as coaching, moderation and mediation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

6 Angelika Wendt<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Leipzig
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Systemic counsellor, mediator<\/h5>\n
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Establishing a successful mediation practice requires time and commitment. However, some measures can Increase your own visibility<\/strong> and improve the chances of demand:<\/p>\n