First-time mediator stories
Keys to better training and mediator preparation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/mtp.21251Keywords:
mediation training, mediation trainers, first-time mediation, mediator preparationAbstract
How can mediation trainers and programme directors ensure that mediators are ready for their first solo case? This study utilised an online survey of forty-one mediators across case types to learn from their first mediation experiences; we asked them to reflect on how it felt to mediate for the first time and the ways in which their training had (or had not) prepared them to succeed. We found that more mediators used negative descriptors than positive ones to describe their initial mediation experience, yet nearly all claimed to have enjoyed mediation training. Study participants voiced a desire for more observations and co-mediation of real cases, or short of that, more role-play practice to prepare them for mediation. This study shares their narratives, analyses their feedback for mediation trainers, and helps to normalise the nervousness felt by most mediators during their first (and subsequent) cases.
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