Originally from Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation

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Relationships are the starting point.

When training mediators or negotiators, or presenting on decision making, my starting point is an exploration of the relationship between the participants, especially the disputants, and the potential role played by individual or organizational identity.

Preparing for mediation involves an initial analysis of the nature of the relationships in the context of time. In its simplest form, it is reviewing three questions, with a focus on the principal disputants:

1. What is the prior relationship of all stakeholders, particularly the disputants?
2. What is the current relationship of the stakeholders, particularly the disputants?
3. What are the potential future relationships of the stakeholders, particularly the disputants?