Friday, May 11, 2007

Are You Comprehensible?

One of the learning objectives in mediation training is to develop an awareness that people differ in how they make decisions, how they process information, and how they communicate.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Leif M. Clark (W.D. Tex.) entered an order captioned “Order Denying Motion for Incomprehensibility” when he couldn’t figure out what the defendant was requesting. As part of the authority for the order, the judge relied on the 1995 comedy “Billy Madison” starring former Saturday Night Live cast member Adam Sandler.

Mediation is based on concepts of communication and one of the roles of the mediator is to reduce obstacles to communication. All to say [pun intended], how mediators and mediation participants communicate is critical [but you knew that, right?!?].

Read the order – it will make you laugh [okay, maybe just smile] – it’s a nice way to start the weekend!

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