| Phase 1: Preparation |
| Step 1: Collecting and analyzing background information | Collect and analyse data about the background, people, dynamics, and substance of conflict
Identify primary, secondary and peripheral conflicts
Complete circle-of conflict analysis of causes of conflict
Verify accuracy of data to minimize the impact of inaccurate or unavailable data |
| Step 2: Strategy design | Prepare mediator’s design for intervention
Assist parties to be aware of and assess various approaches to conflict management and resolution, and then to select an appropriate approach they are comfortable with
Important that the parties’ approaches are co-ordinated |
| Step 3: Setup | Location
Determining the physical space |
| Phase 2: Entry |
| Step 4: Mediator’s Entry | How is the mediator brought into process?
Initial trust building and educating role of mediator
Promote rapport between parties and increase their commitment to the mediation |
| Phase 3: Coordination |
| Step 5: Coordinating the Team | Managing Team
Donors
Media Strategy |
| Phase 4: Action |
| Step 6: Beginning the mediation session | Establish open and positive tone
Establish basic ground rules and behavioural guidelines
Opening statements by parties
Where appropriate, assist parties to vent emotions |
| Step 7: Defining issues and setting an agenda | Present ways of setting agenda, allow parties to choose approach
Identify issues by:
- Allowing parties to make presentations
- Identifying areas of agreement
- Define and order the issues |
| Step 8: Uncovering hidden interests of the disputing parties | Once the substantive, procedural and psychological interests of the parties have been identified, it is important that the parties are educated about each other’s interests |
| Step 9: Generating options for settlement | For parties to begin generating constructive alternatives which might contribute to final settlement, they must be encouraged to develop an awareness of the need for options and simultaneously be encouraged to lower their commitment to positions or sole alternatives |
| Step 10: Assessing options for settlement | The interests of the parties must be reviewed to see how those interests can be met by available options
Parties can be helped to assess the costs and benefits of selecting options |
| Phase 5: Closure and Agreement |
| Step 11: Final bargaining | This stage involves reaching agreement |
| Step 12: Achieving formal settlement | A mediator should check that parties identify appropriate procedural steps to put the agreement into action – to ‘operationalise’ the agreement. Parties should be encouraged to consider establishing an evaluation and monitoring procedure, formalizing the settlement and creating an enforcement and commitment mechanism. |