Mediation is a form of alternative conflict resolution that is voluntary, very flexible and confidential too. It’s often a very straightforward process that involves only the conflicting parties and a neutral third-party-the mediator. The process normally takes place out of court through discussions.
While mediation has been used to resolve conflicts for centuries, many people aren’t sure whether it’s their best option. If its ease is not alluring enough, here are five more reasons why mediation is the way to go when resolving future disputes.
1. It’s cheaper than other conflict resolution methods
Mediation offers the fastest agreements in a conflict. Where litigations can take as little as six months, or even as long as several years, mediation can help you come to a satisfactory agreement in as little as a day or two. This is because mediation is an inherently efficient process that is simple to set up and requires very few people.
2. It is confidential
Court proceedings tend to become volatile more often than not, increasing their potential publicity.
Mediation helps you avoid court hearings, meaning your meeting(s) can take place in a private location with as little as three people present. This is one of the biggest advantages of choosing mediation. It allows you to settle private disputes with little chance of announcing your private life to the world.
3. Preservation of relationships
The downside of settling disputes through courts is that the outcomes are rarely satisfactory to both parties and this often leads to hard feelings and broken relationships.
Mediation prevents this by solely focusing on communication between the two conflicting parties as opposed to attacking each other in a courtroom. This is very beneficial in cases where maintaining the relationship is crucial such as in business and family disputes.
4. Mediation is inexpensive
The cost of traditional litigation is unpredictable and most often spirals out of control. Also, litigation clients sometimes run the risk of being forced to pay the other side’s attorney fees. This can make conflict resolution very expensive.
Mediation, on the other hand, is very cheap. Most mediators charge by the hour, and given that most mediations take less than a week, that can save you a lot of financial burden. T learn more, the topic of mediation costs is covered more here.
5. Its high rate of compliance
Mediation is a joint negotiation in which both parties have equal control over the proceedings. Decisions made are thus more likely to be agreeable to both sides of the table.
This means that conflicting parties that have reached an agreement are more likely to be satisfied with the terms and thus more likely to comply with the obligations of the settlement. This is hardly the case with other conflict resolution methods in which the terms are set and imposed by a third party. You can check out online mediation if you are interested in it
