Essential skills: It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to: Use appropriate interpersonal skills and knowledge of the Agency system to guide the mediation process to: apply knowledge, skills and ethics relevant to the areas of practice as outlined in the 2001 NADRAC standards apply mediation with an awareness and sensitivity to conflict, culture and context apply skills in negotiation, communication and decision-making demonstrate understanding and implementation of relevant procedures use appropriate interpersonal skills knowledge of the agency system to facilitate the mediation process Paraphrase, ask clarifying questions and summa rise to assist parties to feel heard Use a range of rapport-building strategies, such as adapting terms used, pace or volume of speech to suit the language level of the parties and mirroring non- verbal behaviour Guide communication flow directly between parties, from agenda setting stage until close of mediation, excluding any private session Use minimally obtrusive verbal and non-verbal behaviours to manage interruptions Remind parties about agreed ground rules if other interventions are ineffective Raise questions between parties about feelings and specific behaviours to encourage constructive expression of emotions and prevent escalation of conflict Encourage parties to describe their understanding of others' statements about feelings, needs and ideas Use fact finding questions to meet parties' needs Make appropriate use of private sessions In addition, the candidate must be able to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role These include the ability to: Create means by which an emotionally safe and empathic environment Provide means for communicating with people with disabilities or where English is not the first language Apply methods of communicating with different age, religious, gender and sexual identity groups continued ... |