Did you know that the conductor of an orchestra is always one and a half beats ahead of the musicians? The role of the conductor is not to keep the orchestra in time but to stay a fraction in front of them, leading them, giving them the information they need in order to play. As a mediator, that’s exactly what I do. I lead the process by staying a couple of beats ahead.
Like the conductor of an orchestra, I get advance notice when there’s a change in mood, tone or emotion. For example, I may spot a gesture that could indicate someone is moving into an angry state, and as the leader I can head that off. Over a long career as a mediator, I’ve also become extremely attuned to voice and language. I can tell how people are changing in their approach from the way they speak and from how they structure their sentences. I watch and listen and lead accordingly.
Read the complete article here.
Originally published in the Los Angeles Daily Update, "Rest Easier", May 19, 1999 At the end of a long day you receive a phone call from someone you know at...
By Gene MoscovitchDispute Settlement Counsel by Michael Zeytoonian. This blog is the second in a series of three. Our most recent blog post discussed “tiered dispute resolution clauses” in contracts. This is...
By Michael A. ZeytoonianOnline Dispute Resolution (“ODR”) may refer to any form of alternative dispute resolution conducted with the aid of a computer. Two in particular, mediation and arbitration, are proceeded by a...
By Robert Wright, M.A., J.D., Charlie Young
