A mediator must stay neutral and impartial in every negotiation in order to achieve the best possible result. Well, let me tell you that finding center is as hard as balancing on one leg in the turtle kissing the sun pose. Whatever that is.
I always try to see both sides of every argument and find an amicable resolution, but at times when you clearly are dealing with unreasonable people this task becomes more difficult. Just like meditating to reach a center in one’s mind I try to calm the situation to reach the center of an argument. In credit card related mediation, many times this has to do with the defendant who thinks that they are not responsible for the spent money. In these collection lawsuits I always shoot from the hip and simply ask, “Well, what are you responsible for?”
Keeping one’s cool is very important in every situation. It is my job to stay calm and collected even when things around me are falling apart. When that happens I simply pick up the pieces and put them back together. This is why meditation – perhaps not in a literal meaning of that word, is so important in any negotiation.
Keep calm. Keep cool. Be sound and reasonable, but most importantly, don’t give up. It’s not over, till it’s over.
