Mediation Archive - Anke Stein | Mediatorin und Business-Coach

My “Go for it Academy” went online in early January 2023. The Academy’s first course to be offered is the “MediationsRefresher.” And people keep asking me what exactly it is and more importantly, what it’s for. I’d like to answer these questions for you in today’s blog.

For more than ten years, I’ve been working as a lecturer and examiner at the FernUniversität Hagen (distance learning university) in the area of training and education for mediators. I enjoy this work immensely because it allows me to focus on my great passion: mediation. The wonderful thing about it is that not only can I dive into my favorite topic this way, but that I can also spend time with numerous students who are as passionate about the mediation process as I am.

One problem that already existed when I myself attended and completed this great training program at the FernUniversität Hagen, often persists today: Students postpone entering the market after successfully completing the program, either for personal reasons or because they’re faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges when it comes acquiring suitable conflict cases. And, as time passes, their expertly content knowledge fades and the courage to actively enter the market dwindles.

I understand these feelings very well, as I felt the same in 2006. At the time, I would have loved to be able to refresh all of my specialist knowledge so that I could be more confident in my interactions with clients and more courageous in my approach.

It is this dilemma that I would like to resolve now, because one thing is completely clear to me: There’s a great need for more great and passionate mediators. The process of mediation and the attitude of the mediator are precisely the right tools for resolving many of today’s challenges.

The MediationRefresher, with its numerous videos and handouts, provides a complete review of all basic mediation knowledge, as well as content for specific settings and situations that mediators are faced with in their daily work. This applies not only to conducting mediations, but also to the mediator’s own market presence and to client acquisition. Throughout the course, the entire content is illustrated through practical examples and experiences from mediations, to make applying the acquired knowledge graspable and to facilitate the transfer from theory to practice.

As I believe that the attitude of the mediator is an essential factor in the success of the process, coaching exercises are provided for mediators to reflect on themselves and improve their own attitude.

The knowledge offered is supplemented by additional monthly videos and documents, often at the specific request of participants, so as to give them immediate and concrete answers to “burning” questions.

Who is it for? For all mediators who want to refresh or deepen their knowledge and, above all, continue to work on concrete questions so as to develop further.

I invite you to take a look here: https://goforit-academy.com. And as ever, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me!

In that spirit, go for it,

Your Crisis Manager

I was recently asked this question by a mediation student during a seminar. I thought it was such a great question that I decided to write a blog post about it. Because I think there are few things more annoying than finding yourself without or with poor materials during a mediation session. Especially when you can avoid it.

Of course, it is ideal – and can be expected – that a hotel seminar room be well stocked with materials that are also fully functional. Pens, for example. But just to be on the safe side, I always carry some basic equipment in my trunk, which I would like to introduce to you today. To make it easy for you to find the various products on the Internet, I’ll provide links to each one.

First of all, I don’t carry any flipchart paper with me. However, there are mediations and workshops that I prepare at home on flipcharts, which I’ll then bring to the event. Unfortunately, flipchart creativity isn’t my strong suit. To make these flipcharts look reasonably respectable, I have a few books that provide welcome support in this department.

There is a classic by Axel Rachow that you might be familiar with. The book is called The Flipchart Coach and contains professional tips. You can buy it on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3H6YW9X). Mr. Rachow explains very well and in great detail which pens you should use and how exactly you should conduct your hand. I don’t fully follow his recommendations. However, he lists many practical tips that have served me well over the years.

In order to support certain illustrations with visualizations, I also purchased another guide called Learn to Draw Business Symbols Easily (https://amzn.to/3AZLnFc). I’ve found it to be a great source of many helpful symbols that are easy to grasp and, more importantly, easy to draw.

By the way, some of the things you draw on the flipchart can also highlighted quite well through color coding, which also gives your design a visual edge. I always carry wax crayons with me for this purpose, and I like working with the Stockmar variety (https://amzn.to/3H2z3Ii).

But let’s go back to my trunk.

While I don’t carry flipchart paper, I do carry Post-it notes for emergencies, which have become very popular due to their role in agile working. They don’t take up much space, and because they’re self-adhesive, they can be stuck to walls, doors, and windows and removed without a trace. Just like the classic Metaplan cards, they come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. And they have one big additional advantage: You don’t need a metaplan board or pins.

I usually carry two sizes of Post-it notes with me. The 203 x 152 mm ones (https://amzn.to/3Ut1YYN), which I use for brainstorming topics and interesting ideas, and the smaller 152 x 101 mm version (https://amzn.to/3ESVxsr), for notes.

I also believe it’s important not to use flipchart markers to write on the Post-it notes, nor classic ballpoint pens. Markers tend to be too thick and pens are often difficult to read later in a photo log. I always carry black Stabilo premium felt markers (https://amzn.to/3OYRek4). They’re a bit more expensive, but have a good grip, can be photographed legibly, and last forever.

Finally, I always have room in my trunk for at least one small moderation case with standard contents. These come in a variety of sizes, colors and materials, depending on your taste. Since I usually have both hands more or less full of stuff, I prefer either the shoulder-strap version from Neuland (https://de.neuland.com/shop/workshopkoffer-sets) or a mobile trolley presentation case (https://amzn.to/3ORcTudl). These usually contain other useful materials, such as flipchart markers. After all, how many times have I relied on the pens from the hotel presentation cases that turned out to be dry or out of ink? With my own presentation case, I can always be sure that I have pens that are fully functional and refilled. Of course, I check it regularly before I go on a business trip.

I hope you enjoyed this little excursion into my trunk. I’d be happy to give you more tips on how to improve your standard equipment. It was important for me to recommend specific products to you because I wanted the public transportation users among us to understand that what we typically need for appointments is not all that much and can easily be taken on the train – as I should know, having done it many times.

In this spirit, I wish you a very reflective Christmas season.

Go for it!

Your crisis manager

What is a “MediationRefresher” course?

“What material do you always carry in your trunk?”