The Negotiation Process

Differences and disagreements always exist in negotiation process. When parties cannot reach an agreement or the power between parties is imbalance, mediators will be demonstrated the significant impact on solving problems and encourage negotiators to achieve consensus. This essay will expound four different types of mediator, which include settlement mediator, facilitative mediator, therapeutic mediator and evaluative mediator. Areas of practice for different styles of mediator also will be stated. Moreover, what kinds of dispute will be solved by different types of mediators and how these kinds of mediators influence the negotiation process are referring. At last, responsibilities and disadvantages of different styles of mediators will be represented. In brief, negotiation is a power game and mediator is always the impersonal rule maker.

Mediator means an independent or a neutral third-party who helps the other two parties to consult contradiction or relax relationship during negotiation process. (Edwin, 2002, p 67) The purpose for mediator is clearing target and interest for parties, evaluating advantages and disadvantages for each position, exploring possible options, and encouraging them to reach agreement. A sapiential mediator has significant impacts on handling troublesome problems and facilitating parties to achieve consensus during the negotiation process. Firstly, mediators impel to persuade interlocutors separate interpersonal relationship from the essence of negotiation, and build bridge to connect these two parties. Moreover, mediator provides a neutral stage and give faces to both parties convert controversy to reconciliation when neither of them makes a concession. At the same time, a compromise suggestion which...

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...isputes and relax relationship when negotiation sink into deadlock, and it also encourage parties to achieve consensus. A successful settlement mediator respect negotiators and encourage parties to achieve agreement through compromising. However, facilitative mediators focus on convert competitive relationship to cooperative relationship to solve problems, and build trust is important. Therapeutic mediators are also focus on the relationship between two parties. Nevertheless, they pay more attention to the relationship rather than the dispute itself. The most powerful style of mediators is evaluative mediators, who always determine the final outcome in a mediation process. However, it damages relationship between parties awfully. Overall, selecting the right style of the mediator is very important and practical to reach agreement during negotiation process.