SELF-ASSESSMENT
AWARENESS OF MY STRENGTHS
Through the training, in which I was fortunate to participate, I discovered and learned so many things, one of them being the personality type, there I discovered that I possess the following strengths and I believe it will greatly impact the mediation role. These strengths are.
Active and Empathetic Listener: One of the important criteria of a good mediator is the ability to be an active and empathetic listener. During my sessions, I found out, that it was not difficult for me to listen to the presentations of the parties, taking down some relevant details of their submissions. This might be attributed to my patient nature as a person.
Sensitivity of a social worker: Being sensitive to peoples' plight is one quality I believe helps me to reach out to disputing parties and be willing to assist them to reach an agreement in the same way as resolving their issues on their own.
Patient with Learners: This is a great virtue, I have developed through my stay in my sister's house, where I get to stay with her children almost at all times, also being a law student also imbedded the virtue of patience in me, this is because my work with my client will not be easy where this virtue is not found in me.
Intelligence: I try to acquire more knowledge outside the law so that parties who want me to mediate in their matter will not be disappointed if they found out that I do n of the issue, I am always learning and reading up new things to enhance my knowledge.
Appreciation of Cultural Diversities: After being thought about personality types, I understood that every human being is unique in their way, so I have expunged from my system, all tribal, regional, national, political, and social biases enabling me to easily develop rapport with people. Which I know is a key role in mediation
Imaginative and Resourceful: This is another important strength, I believe I have to be imaginative and resourceful to know when parties are approaching a deadlock, which was important to leave the parties in control of their terms and agreement of the settlement or decisions.
Neutral and Non- Judgmental: My training under ICMC also helped me to keep out of the arena of conflict, like what one of the facilitators will say, "we have lost our right to be angry once we are undergoing the training", which is true, maintaining a neutral and impartial position. Neutrality is the key to mediation as the mediator must assist parties in working towards a settlement. Being partial will obviate this and destroy the basis of a good mediation.
Flexibility: I believe that parties should not be kept in a tight up corner but should be encouraged to explore new avenues, this is one of the things I discussed during the sessions, that the parties should be allowed to make their own decision which is the only way they can move towards a settlement on terms acceptable and preferable to them. Flexibility also has a way of making the parties comfortable and being outspoken in a confidential manner. Furthermore, being flexible yet firm helps me to consider and at the same time retain high principles when dealing with people.
A Scribe and an Effective Chairperson: finally, I realized that my background as a lawyer will help me in effectively noting the vital details agreed upon and also help the parties to craft an agreement that is mutually beneficial and that the terms accurately reflect the intentions of the parties as a chairperson, the mediator must therefore be able to effectively control and manage the process so that one party does not take over the reign of affairs, which I found myself doing.
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