Optimizing Mediation: Building Rapport

September 20, 2025

Table of Contents Next Building Rapport in Mediation Building Rapport Matching, Pacing, and Leading If asked to name the three most important skills for a mediator, my answer is simple: Rapport, Rapport, and Rapport. Nothing meaningful can happen in mediation until participants feel fully heard and until the mediator has established a solid, respectful working…

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Jim Melamed

Jim Melamed co-founded Mediate.com in 1996 along with John Helie and served as CEO of Mediate.com through June 2020 (25 years). Jim is currently General Counsel for Mediate.com and ODR.com. During Jim's 25-year tenure, Mediate.com received the American Bar Association's 2010 Institutional Problem Solver Award. Before Mediate.com, Jim founded The… MORE