Top 10 Reasons to Mediate
Conflict and disputes occur for many reasons—miscommunication, differing values and interests, misunderstandings, false assumptions, etc. If left unresolved, disputes and conflicts can result in negative impacts to you and others, such as damaged relationships, poisonous environments, increased stress, poor health, staff turnover, decreased revenues, etc. and even litigation.
Mediation is a quick, efficient, conflict resolution process that is a significantly less costly alternative to litigating, quitting a job, or leaving a relationship.
Here are the top 10 reasons why you should use mediation to resolve your conflicts, create a business deal or any agreement, including pre-nuptials.
Top 10 reasons to mediate
It is a voluntary process. All parties in dispute must want to attend mediation and resolve the issues.
It is private and confidential. Anything said in a mediation is not part of the public domain, unlike other processes such as litigation or arbitration, where such records can be accessed by the public.
It can save you money. It is significantly less costly than litigation or arbitration.
It protects your image and reputation since it is confidential.
Parties to mediation gain a better understanding of the situation and each other’s perspective.
Parties to mediation retain control of the process and determine a mutually acceptable resolution, outcome, and terms of their Agreement, not an judge, arbiter, or formal panel.
If new disputes occur after reaching a resolution, additional mediations can be scheduled without affecting the prior mediated Agreement.
Relationships may be preserved that may otherwise be destroyed.
The mediator deals directly with the parties, focusing on their needs and interests rather than on their stated positions.
It is efficient and timely. Mediation can be completed within a few hours to a few days, whereas other processes such as litigation can take months and even years to be resolved.
It is considerably less formal than other processes such as litigation or arbitration. This informality allows parties to be more engaged than they would be, or could be, in say a court-driven process, which has many rules and procedures to follow, and which tends to separate the parties rather than bring them together.