Adapted from “Beyond Blame: Choosing a Mediator” by Stephen B. Goldberg for the January 2006 issue of the Negotiation newsletter.
When choosing a mediator, keep in mind that you need not accept the proposals that he makes. In other words, you have total power to prevent mediation from leading to an undesirable outcome.
As a result, the only risk of mediation is that you will expend time and money without reaching agreement.
According to experts, mediation success comes from a focus on three key areas: