Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
10.4
Facilitation
Facilitation is the introduction of a third party (not necessarily a to-
tally independent one) to ease effective communication. Some media-
tors have developed a reputation for using their mediation skills outside
the dispute resolution arena, for example in chairing difficult meetings
or even being the independent catalyst for enabling participants to con-
tribute to important discussions in an unthreatening environment. Fa-
cilitation involves significantly more preparation than most commercial
mediations. The mediator has influence over who attends, the prepara-
tion of the agenda, and often over the venue and the framework of the
day. There is a big dependency on the personality of the mediator -
one who creates trust very quickly and who is sensitive to the moods
and needs of the participants. But they are core attributes of an effective
mediator anyway. The aim is to ensure that
the right people attend
everyone contributes
the outcome is sustainable
10.4.1
Preparing for the facilitation
As with dispute mediation, early telephone contact is vital in the prepa-
ration for facilitation. But in contrast to dispute mediation, the contact
is with the parties direct. This puts great importance on the mediator's
telephone manner because without the face-to-face contact, there can
be no reading of facial expressions and body language. So tone of voice
and pace and matching words are all very significant. If there are to be
a lot of people in the meeting (say, 20 or more) individual contact is not
likely to be possible with everyone. The important thing then is to es-
tablish who are the likely blockers to the discussions and to spend time
in speaking to them. It is important that the dissenting voice is given
time but also that such a voice has a positive, rather than destructive,
effect on the dialogue.
Having touched base with all, or most, of the participants, the medi-
ator may well be the one to issue an invitation for them to attend the
meeting, which may be held off site. If that is possible then, as with other
forms of mediation, a venue that has natural light and external space
where people can walk and work is very important.
128
