Introducing Virtual Mediation Lab Phase 2 - Online Mediation Simulations with Skype

June 14, 2012 - PRLog -- The goal of Virtual Mediation Lab is to help mediators around the world to practice and improve their mediation skills by participating — with other mediators — in online mediation simulations with Skype. VML’s underlying idea is quite simple. The more mistakes mediators make (or observe) during mediation simulations, the better — the faster they learn.

Conceived by mediator Giuseppe Leone and sponsored by the Association for Conflict Resolution – Hawaii Chapter, VML started as a pilot project on November 7, 2011 and ended successfully on June 1, 2012.

Given the positive results of the pilot phase, which are posted on the VML website http://www.virtualmediationlab.com today VML announced Phase 2 of its project, with 4 new features.

1 – Comediation
Now simulations can be run either with one mediator or 2 comediators. This feature is useful to those mediators who were trained to mediate with a comediator, rather than solo.

2 – More Challenging Simulations
In addition to simulations in which the two parties are alone, now it is possible to run simulations in which one of the parties is assisted by an Attorney or a Union Representative.

3 – Multiple Mediation Sessions
Each simulation consists of a 1-hour mediation, followed by a 30/60-min debrief, in which the coach and the mediators analyze what happened during the mediation, and discuss what worked well -- or not so well.

Before the end of each simulation, all mediators can now set a day for their next simulation. This helps them not only to follow a case from beginning to end -- through multiple mediation sessions -- but also to assess the mediator’s improvement from one simulation to the next.

4 – Video Sharing
Mediators can now learn not only when they participate in a simulation, but also when they watch the same case mediated by other mediators, using different mediation methods and techniques.

And therefore all VML simulations are video recorded. Videos are available -- free of charge -- to the mediators who participated in a simulation, and are made available to other VML mediators -- for a fee.