Educating on the process of mediation

By Jesse Mains

Presentations, whether you are on the offering side or the receiving end they prove to be beneficial in both personal and professional development.

Years of schooling, their participation in research, the invaluable life lessons that they have been provided, or a combination of these learning tools, have created many a presenter. Although there are presenters that speak to groups as an occupation, there are also presenters who enjoy participating in helping to teach others about a topic that they have taken a particular interest in. I am that presenter.

Over the years, my full-time work at Gettysburg College has provided me with the opportunity to participate as a member of various committees. One of those committees, focusing on professional development, recently held a Spotlight Series on Communication. I knew that this would be the perfect opportunity to intermingle my volunteer work with Mediation Services of Adams County Inc. (MSAC) in a way that could help educate my interested colleagues on the process of mediation.

MSAC Vice President Maggie Baldwin and I collaborated to create a brief, 20-minute presentation, on the ins and outs of the mediation process. What mediation is and what it isn’t; what to expect and what not to expect during a mediation session. The lunch and learn session also included a situational mediation experience and examples of communicative learning blocks. Lighthearted discussion during the Q&A period made the sometimes-daunting topic of mediation comfortable for all attendees.

The feedback from the audience was, thankfully, exactly what we had expected. There were people who came to the session with a slight knowledge of mediation and wanted to learn more, inquisitive people who had never heard of MSAC and were curious as to what the agency can offer to the Adams County Community, and even a few people who thought they were attending a lunchtime meditation (yes, I said meditation and not mediation) session. It’s OK to laugh, we did. No matter what goals anyone attending the session had, we all came away learning something new!

If you’re reading this and wondering if a presentation on mediation would be beneficial to your organization, the answer is yes and we’d love to hear from you. MSAC offers three types of presentations: The Mediation Process, The Work of Community Mediation Centers, and How Inexpensive Conflict Resolution Services Help Individuals and Groups. Contact us at 717-334-7312 or mediationac@yahoo.com for more information.

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Mediation Services of Adams County Inc. (MSAC) has trained mediators available to help you work through strained family relationships, neighbor disputes, or other conflicts for an economical fee based on income. If you would like more information about mediation, please contact Mediation Services of Adams County Inc., 717-334-7312, P.O. Box 4113, Gettysburg, PA 17325, email mediationac@yahoo.com www.mediateadams.org.