A Great Book for Mediators to Read!

For those of you have recently trained as Mediators, I strongly recommend The Making of a Mediator: Developing Artistry in Practice by Michael Lang & Alison Taylor, Jossey-Bass. ISBN 0-7879-4992-2.   

Lang & Taylor ask us to reflect on our theoretical basis and approach to mediation practice so that we become more aware of the intrinsic links between theory and practice in our day-to-day work as mediators.  They maintain that self-reflection will lead to a deeper understanding of the connection and in turn to artistry in our practice.

Lang & Taylor write that artistry is achieved when we are sufficiently grounded in our profession, when we are skilled as mediators and knowledgeable about the key elements of mediation. When we get to that point, we are then able to bring our own unique perspective and interpretation to bear on our practice. I have found this to be very true in my practice to date; that this comes about as my skills, knowledge and experience continue to grow. I continue to learn!

They describe the development of the Mediator through four stages - novice, apprentice, practitioner and the artist. These levels are quite similar to the Four Stages of Competency proposed it seems by Burch during the 1970's (often attributed to Maslow): Unconscious Incompetence; Conscious Incompetence; Conscious Competence; and Unconscious Competence. This book is practical and at the same time rich in terms of the authors' own artistry which they convey with an easy style. Enjoy!