Listening to arguments and reporting on them in a fair way is a key skill for journalists.
So Ian Onions, from the Bristol Evening Post, went on a three-day mediation course to focus on the next stage – to find how disputes are solved...

It sounds like the easiest thing in the world — to sit and listen to someone pour out their reasons why they are in the right over a dispute.

But to help them reach a settlement with the other party needs more than just a few basic interview skills.

I was invited to attend a three-day mediation course in Clifton to learn the art of being a mediator — a trained professional whose job it is to help people resolve their disputes.

As a journalist, I have to listen to people’s arguments and try my best to report fairly and accurately what they say.

But the task of a mediator is to explore the issues, clarify them and develop options which can lead to an agreement.

When two sides are in dispute, they are obviously at loggerheads and feelings can often run high.

So it’s important to use man-management skills to take on board their anger, help them control their emotions and deal with the issues.

During my course, I met people from all walks of life — mostly lawyers who are interested in dispute resolution but also advice workers, a psychologist and even an Anglican clergyman.

Often, an impasse is reached between two sides because of a lack of trust, miscommunication, lack of information or simple blind prejudice.

But it’s remarkable how giving people space to air their feelings and speak with their own voice can slowly unravel what was originally considered to be an intractable situation.

Not all mediations are successful but about 80 per cent of them do result in a settlement.

It came through on the course that empowering people so they felt in control made a big difference to helping them find a solution.

One of the keys of success was having private sessions with each side so they could talk in confidence and put forward their arguments in their own way instead of relying on lawyers to slug it out in court.

One of reasons why I think mediation will become increasingly popular is because the process is much quicker than going to court. Instead of waiting endlessly for cases to be prepared and taken to court, a mediation can be set up very quickly and be dealt with in a day. The quick turnaround means its much cheaper, too.