Exchanging “asymmetric” information refers to the active communication between the parties, facilitated by the mediator, to ensure that all have the necessary information to make a final decision. It usually occurs when there is a significant imbalance in the quality or quantity of information shared between the parties, which can contribute to additional challenges and obstacles to reaching a consensus.

The process of reframing the issues by prioritizing them according to objective criteria allows the parties to identify the key issues, present them in a neutral way, and rank them through the prism of their interests.

Conducting a risk assessment is a process that helps parties identify potential challenges, obstacles, and uncertainties in their position. This knowledge enables them to explore alternatives to a negotiated agreement. The objective of this process is to prepare participants for the potential trade-offs required for a settlement and ensure they have a realistic understanding of the
options available to them.

Reality testing deployed by the mediator in individual sessions refers to the process of critically assessing and verifying the accuracy and validity of the parties’ beliefs, perceptions, thoughts, or assumptions about the conflict in order to help individuals better understand and navigate through reality and their desired outcomes. The ultimate goal is to lessen the pretense and pave the way towards multiple realistic scenarios that parties can choose from in the course of the ensuing Enable Resolution stage.

Apology, forgiveness, and healing represent a powerful, relationship centered strategy where a party acknowledges harm
done and expresses remorse (apology), potentially leading the injured party to release resentment and move towards reconciliation (forgiveness), thereby fostering emotional recovery and relationship repair for both parties (healing).

Reactive devaluation is a cognitive bias whereby people tend to undervalue or dismiss proposals or ideas simply because they come from an opposing party or person, even if the proposal itself is valuable. Overcoming reactive devaluation as part of the mediation process which requires the mediator to use skills to ensure that the parties aren’t clouded by their emotional response and fully understand the proposals made by the other party. Overcoming reactive devaluation is essential to ensure that fair and effective agreements can be reached.

Hypothetical scenarios in mediation can be used as discussion prompts or illustrative examples to help participants better understand each potential option under discussion, while at the same time addressing the parties’ concerns, reducing tension and establishing a truly productive conversation. The parties can then move on to the next stage, where actual settlement options are discussed, based on the lessons learned from the use of  hypothetical scenarios.

Bracketing is the mediator’s skill of helping parties bridge significant gaps between their positions by proposing a conditional range, or “bracket,” within which both parties agree to negotiate.

Breaking an impasse in mediation is a crucial step towards reaching a resolution, which requires the mediator and the participants to employ various new strategies to overcome the deadlock and move the mediation process forward.