Mediation Skills 4-day Programme – ILM Accredited

The aim of this four day course is to cover the entire mediation process from first contact through to review and closure. It aims to give participants an extensive foundation in advanced Mediation Skills, such as active listening, impartiality, rapport building, managing difficult conversations and facilitating change. It aims to develop an understanding of mediators’ own responses to conflict, so that they can manage their own feelings and assumptions and interact constructively with disputants.

The course will enable participants to:

• Understand conflict which includes an awareness of the feelings and patterns of behaviour that can be present
• Appreciate the conditions which enable mediation to act as a catalyst for constructive conflict resolution
• Be aware of the skills, behaviours and knowledge required of a mediator and of one’s own competence in these areas
• Understand and use the process of mediation
• Use active listening skills required to develop rapport with disputants
• Develop ways of working that are impartial and which empower disputants to resolve their disputes themselves in a fair and realistic manner
• Use facilitation skills required to manage a face-to-face mediation and encourage disputants to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement
• Develop ways of working with the difficulties and opportunities provided by the diversity of culture and lifestyles within the organisation

Day 1 – 21 February 2024

• Welcome & Introductions – Why I want to work with conflict?
• Ground-rules/Codes of Conduct
• Myself and conflict – taking a constructive approach
• Understanding disputes and disputants
• How mediation works
• Key skills, attitudes and knowledge – A self-assessment
• Active listening
• Building rapport

Day 2 – 22 February 2024

• Review
• Positions and interests
• Mediation demonstration
• Mediation – Stage 1 – First contact first party
• Factors affecting perception, prejudice awareness
• Mediation – Stage 2 – First contact second party
• Dealing with aggression/denial

Day 3 – 28 February 2024

• Review
• What next – possible outcomes to disputes
• Preparing for face-to-face disputes:
  • Welcomes, introductions and ground-rules
  • Uninterrupted time
  • Managing conflict
  • Reframing and neutral language
  • Identifying key facts and issues
  • Sorting the issues
  • Enabling feelings to be expressed
  • Agreeing the issues to be discussed
  • Generating options
  • Facilitation skills
  • Constructing an agreement
  • Closure

Day 4 – 29 February 2024

• Review
• Full face-to-face mediation role plays
• De-briefing and preparation for self and peer group assessments
• Review
• Presentations of self-assessments and endorsement by peers
• The next steps and support mechanisms for mediators
• Review and closure

Delivery style

The course is participative and practical and will be orientated around real life scenarios. Participants will be expected to engage in role-plays, small group activities, individual analysis, as well as tutor input and one-to-one supervision.

Assessment Process

“Poor help is worse than no help at all.” The position of mediator is not one to be taken lightly. With this in mind, there be an assessment process in which participants will undertake a mediation session during the programme which will be evaluated by self, peers and the tutor.

Within 12 months, participants will be required to provide a written case study of a live mediation they have undertaken, with a witness statement from either the ‘mediation sponsor’ or the disputants involved.

NB – the endorsement should not be dependent on whether the disputants achieved a ‘written agreement’ but how effective the Mediator ‘managed the process’.

Course Tutor

Mel Thomas, of Mel Thomas and Associates, is a NEREO associate and a consultant in the field of Organisational, Management and Employee Development. He is a qualified Psychotherapist and works as an Industrial Mediator in conflict situations in organisational settings. He has trained Mediators for Greater Manchester Police, Blackburn and Darwen Council, Bury Council, Lancashire County Council, Sefton Council, Warrington Council, West Yorkshire Police, Rochdale Council, Barnsley Council, Information Office and Wigan Council amongst others. He recently presented a lecture on the use of Mediation at the British Conference on Harassment and Bullying at Manchester Airport.

Venue / Duration

Exchange Quay, Salford, 9.30am – 4.30pm each day

Candidates will automatically be enrolled with ILM after the final day of the course and above fee will automatically apply. if, for any reason, a candidate does not require ILM registration, it is important that we are advised before the start of the course.

Dates – *participants must be able to attend all four dates

• 21/02/24
• 22/02/24
• 28/02/24
• 29/02/24

Re-assessment  

If a delegate does not meet assessment criteria after the 4-day course, they can apply to be re-assessed. Additional fee is: £350 + VAT per person.