A negotiation between two or more parties facilitated by an agreed-upon third party. Skilled third-party mediators can lower the emotional temperature in a negotiation, foster more effective communication, help uncover less obvious interests, offer face-saving possibilities for movement, and suggest solutions that the parties might have overlooked. (David A. Lax and James K. Sebenius, 3-D Negotiation [Harvard Business School Press, 2006], 108-109)
