Rodney Allredge

My mantra in mediation and negotiation is "Prepare Well, then Adapt Well." I try to understand as much as possible about the situation before we begin, then I adapt my priorities during mediation based on analysis inspired by empathetic listening. I take the time to hear the story of the conflict from every perspective. I usually ask many open-ended questions, carefully crafted not to imply an opinion, but to allow the person sharing to clarify their thoughts.  I then do what the great negotiator William Ury called "Go to the Balcony." Here, I try to get every party to back up and look at the situation from a larger perspective, as if they are an outside observer. Once everyone feels that their viewpoint has been heard and the situation understood objectively, the participants are more able to look deeply into what is ultimately needed to go forward and to drill down past the hurt to articulate their real interests that, if achieved, would be much better than the pain of the conflict. This process often leads both parties to embrace the possibility of participating in building their own bridge to success.