Party-directed mediation (PDM) is an approach to mediation that seeks to empower each party in a
dispute, enabling each party to have more direct influence upon the resolution of a conflict, by
offering both means and processes for enhancing the negotiation skills of contenders. The intended
prospect of party-directed mediation is to improve upon the ability and willingness of disputants to
deal with subsequent differences.
The concept behind party-directed mediation, depending upon the degree to which a case lends
itself, is that if and when parties wish to spend the time to acquire the skills necessary to become
more effective negotiators, then they can be empowered to achieve a self-directed resolution. The
concept is most effective for disputants who wish to have a greater hand in resolving their own
conflicts.
Party-directed mediation is of special value where individuals or stakeholders will continue to have
ongoing interactions, as well as for conflicts with significant interpersonal aspects. As people become
more talented negotiators, through adoption of enhanced negotiation skills, they tend to deal more
effectively with conflict.
Essential elements
Two of the most salient elements of party directed mediation generally are:
A pre-caucus or pre-mediation meeting between the mediator and each of the parties prior
to the joint session, and
A 'joint session', where parties face each other and speak directly to each other, rather than
through the mediator
In some instances, the pre-caucus may be so effective that parties go on to solve their conflict
without a mediator. In fact, most people are able to resolve most of their conflicts without a
mediator. There are times, however, when mediators are very much needed.
Pre-caucus
In the pre-caucus, the mediator meets[1] with each party separately, away from other parties, before
they are ever brought together into a joint session. The purpose of the pre-caucus is to help each
party release their pent up concerns enough to enable them to gain a broader perspective, and to
prepare the parties to pursue their own agenda in the ensuing joint session. This is done through a
listening approach called Non-Directive Empathic Listening developed by Gregorio Billikopf and then
helping participants through a self-evaluative process and sharing interpersonal negotiation skills
with them.
Joint session
In the joint session, individuals are situated so they sit face to face in order to address each other
directly, rather than through the mediator. To enhance this delegation of responsibility, clients sit
facing directly across a table from each other, while the mediator sits at a distance from both. This
assures that both parties must address each other, directly. Parties often must be reminded that the
mediator is there to help the parties take responsibility for managing their own conflict, rather than
to judge between the merits of the position of one party or the other.
Concept origins
