30-Hour Online Mediation Training Program

This remote training will provide staff of the Trial Court with the tools and skills to become mediators and to effectively facilitate the mediation process.

Dates/Time/Location

New dates due to expected snowstorm:
- April 27, 28, 30, May 6 & 8, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM / Zoom – Contact Lisa MacKenzie for the link.

This Program is Designed to:

Prepare participants to become mediators and learn how to facilitate the mediation process effectively.
Help participants apply a negotiation framework to the mediation process to assist parties in their efforts to define the issues, focus on their interests, and generate options that secure sound resolutions.
Provide participants with the skills necessary to mediate effectively, including interactive listening, asking effective questions, dealing with challenging behaviors, and overcoming barriers to agreement.

Topics to Be Covered

An overview of mediation and other ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) methods; various mediation styles including facilitative, directive, and evaluative – the differences and goals.
The nature and dynamics of conflict.
The role and skills of a mediator: setting the stage, defining the issues, identifying interests, transmitting information, communicating effectively, generating options for resolution, and drafting agreements.
Mediating with a co-mediator; solo mediation techniques.
The five principles of mediation; ethical duties and dilemmas facing mediators; mediator confidentiality and liability; Dovetailing mediation and the law.
The art of effective questioning, empathy, and the mediation process
Dealing with challenging personalities, mediator bias, and challenges to neutrality; Dealing with power differentials.