The prospect of engaging a business mediator to help with resolving a dispute can be a challenge. Your instinct tells you that you want to find somebody who you sense will share your values and background because you assume that they will agree with you. The truth is that intuiting what side a person is going to take is nearly impossible, and further, is not your goal. The mediator that you need is one that will be able to help you and the opposition reach consensus. To accomplish this, look for the following characteristics:

• Extensive training and experience. Mediation is not easy and resolving your conflict won’t be either. You want your business mediator to have more skills than what is provided in the course of a single training course. The more experience your mediator has, the better.
• If getting your conflict resolved is important enough for you to hire a business mediator then you want to choose somebody who won’t give up too easily and who will work to find a creative route that makes everybody feel that they have won important points.
• Suitability for you and your opposition. If you are considering a mediator, you have already spent time arguing with your opposition and believe that resolution is possible. That means that you have some sense of what type of personality they will respond to, what sets them off and what soothes them. Identifying a business mediator whose approach is suitable to your opposition, as well as to you, will work to your benefit.
• Keep your end goal in mind and make sure that the business mediator will work towards it. This does not refer to you winning key points as much as to whether your goal is for the mediator to facilitate litigation or settlement. A mediator should be able to tell you whether their style allows for and can work towards your goal, whether by urging discovery in preparation for court or by keeping things peaceful in order to improve the chance of an eventual agreement.
• Familiarity with the subject of the dispute. It simply makes sense that if your business mediator has experience and knowledge in the subject of your dispute and your industry, they will be able to guide the conversation more effectively.

Choosing the right business mediator is essential to reaching a resolution that will allow both sides to move forward with a high degree of satisfaction. For information about our business mediation services, contact us today to set up a time for a consultation.