9 KEY PRE-MEDIATION INFORMATION AND ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

Start with broad open questions allowing the client to lead you to and emphasise the things most important to them within the framework you set by your questions, as you listen with a specific purpose in mind, to assess for mediation competence, practical issues and screening issues.

1.Please explain your current situation. Could you be as factual as you at this stage?

Listen for the level of blame/level and type of emotion, the things that they spend most time on (of most concern to them), body language.

2.What do you want from mediation?

How will the practical you want satisfy your emotional needs

3.What do you expect from mediation?

Sense of reality and perspective

4.What does your former partner want?

Reflective/Empathic/Perceptions/Assumptions

5.Please describe your ex partner’s personality? 

Do they have anything good to say about them

6.What do you think the main challenges will be in mediation?

Main concerns- This is the point at which you might give some indication of how you work as a mediator and some possible things you will focus on to help them.

7.What is communication like between you?

Was there a time when you could communicate?

When and why did that change?

What do you argue about now?

What are your main triggers?

What are your partner’s main triggers?

8.Do you think that either of you will have a difficult taking your share of the responsibility for the work involved in the decision making process? 

Again, listen for blame/empathy/reflection

9.What else would you like to know or tell me at this stage?

TELL ME WHAT QUESTIONS WORK WELL FOR YOU?……..