What does mediation mean?

What is mediation?

Mediation is a process which is used to assist disputing parties in resolving a conflict or disagreement in any commercial, legal, workplace, community and family matter. It is a form of alternative dispute resolution that aims to help the involved parties to help reach mutually acceptable solutions with the assistance of a neutral person called a Mediator The process is voluntary, private, and confidential.

The mediation process

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The Mediator’s role is to encourage open and honest communication, identify issues, and provide guidance without making decisions for the parties. Ultimately the mediation empowers the involved parties to take control of the outcome and reach a flexible agreement that can help the parties to move forward.

Mediation can be used in a variety of situations:

• You can choose to go on your own or,

• It can be part of a court process, where the court sometimes require people to go to mediation because it can help both sides find a solution that works for them and it can also be faster than going to trial.  

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Agreement

It is a voluntary process whereby the Mediator helps the people to listen to each other, find common goals and attempt to reach an agreement. During the mediation, you cannot be forced to agree to anything. When no agreement is reached, you can still have the matter decided in court.