Mediator training - do we have to do role plays?

It's probably the biggest worry people have when they're considering training as a mediator or attending one of our 'difficult' conversations programmes.

The first thing to remember is you won't be the only person who won't be looking forward to role plays - so you'll be in good company!

Are you having visions of going to the front of the class and having to act whilst everyone is watching? That absolutely will not happen! We're not interested in embarrassing anyone, and we're not trying to develop your thespian skills. Having said that, budding actors often appear out of the woodwork - or people just love the freedom to play someone who isn't happy and they can say what they want!

We work in teams of three and you'll have a go by working with your two colleagues - nobody else from the group will watch you, and it will be a perfectly safe space.

The real benefit of role plays in mediator training is that you get to start to have a go at thinking like a mediator and having a go at using your new skills. Just like on your first driving lesson things won't be perfect and you may feel a little bit out of your comfort zone, but not massively - we'll make sure of that!

In the first three days of the mediator training we have a different case each day, and they are real-life cases (names and photos changed of course). This means you're having a go at real cases, and when we're all back together as a group we'll walk you through how the actual case turned out.

The worry people have before the training usually results in feedback at the end such as "I was really surprised how much I enjoyed them!"

If you're so nervous about role plays that you're losing sleep or it's putting you off wanting to attend, please talk to us or drop me an email - we often have chats with people about this and it's absolutely fine - the last thing we want is for you to worry.

Don't forget you will be trained by real-life mediators, and one of the key attributes for any mediator is to ensure people are comfortable - believe it or not we also have some great fun - life's too short to not have fun!