Aug 10 2007
Certified Mediator
After all of these years I’ve finally earned myself some recognition as a mediator! I recently completed the 4-day Basic Mediation training course through the Bond University Dispute Resolution Centre. The course comprised of 2-days of theory and 2 days of role-plays.
For those of you scratching your head, mediation is not meditation. A mediator is a neutral, third-party who facilitates dispute resolution by encouraging parties to find common ground and build on their interests. At the end of the day, the mediator doesn’t have the power to make a binding decision and its up to the parties to 
want to make it work. Mediation isn’t suitable for all disputes, but it can certainly be used in a majority of them. It saves time, money, and emotional hardship and can produce mutually acceptable outcomes that a court could never offer.
I hope to start honing my skills soon when I return to Canada. I’ve been getting interested in online dispute resolution systems lately and they largely favour mediation at this time. I took Dispute Systems Design through Bond University as an elective about analyzing dispute resolution systems. I’ve studied both the micro and macro applications of mediation and think that I can apply my studies in a practical way.
So, as the struggle for full-time employment continues, I’m planning on fitting some time in for mediation too. Keep apprised, maybe something exciting will happen!
