I wish I had a dollar for every time someone said, “mediation – what’s that?” If I did have those dollars, I could afford a TV spot during the superbowl, and then everyone would know!

The funny thing is that after I explain mediation (as a process where people work through disagreement towards joint resolution with the help of a neutral facilitator) the reaction is usually one of “oh yeah”. I don’t think they say “oh yeah” as if they just forgot the meaning of the word. It sounds more like an “aha” disguised as an “oh yeah”. In other words, after I explain mediation, it makes so much sense to them it’s as if they finally heard the word that describes something they intuitively already knew. Mediation is the type of dispute resolution process that people want; it’s what they strive for even before they seek out third party assistance.

Mediation makes sense – to the mind and to the heart. So, even though I still wish I had those dollars, I’m very happy to help people discover a dispute resolution process that strikes a chord.

-Amanda Burbage