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Divorce mediation requires peaceful negotiation skills

 Posted on July 02, 2020 in Uncategorized

In your daily life in Texas, do people often tell you that you're persuasive? Do your peers come to you with their problems because they trust your advice and have confidence in your problem-solving skills? Maybe you focused your career on helping others troubleshoot their problems.

Then again, you might consider yourself someone who becomes flustered or nervous when trying to discuss a disagreement with another person in order to resolve the issue. Maybe you feel intimidated when someone tries to convince you that his or her idea is best. Either way, if you're considering divorce mediation as a means to achieve settlement, you'll want to brush up on your negotiation skills.

Effective tools that are useful for mediation negotiations

You and your soon-to-be ex might have a few things you still agree on, such as not wanting your divorce to cause a lot of stress in your children's lives or a desire to keep expenses as low as possible. Having common ground is useful when your goal is to engage in peaceful negotiation to achieve a fair settlement. The following list includes additional helpful tips:

  • It's always best to approach negotiations with a sincere interest in what the other person has to say. If you go in solely focused on your side of all the issues, you're not likely to get very far in creating terms of agreement.
  • As you head into mediation sessions, keep in mind that you and your spouse both have needs and goals. The idea is to find common ground upon which you can build a compromise so that each of you walks away feeling satisfied that you have met your needs and have laid the groundwork for accomplishing immediate and long-term goals.
  • Skilled negotiation takes time, so it's best to schedule sessions when you won't feel rushed. The point of mediation is to keep discussing whatever issue is on the table until both sides are comfortable with the proposed solution.
  • Before sessions begin, you and your spouse must agree to do your best to avoid confrontation. When peaceful negotiation is the main goal, there's no room for derogatory remarks, sarcasm or negative criticism.
  • Another helpful negotiation tool is the willingness to co-operate and compromise. If you're looking for a fight and your main goal is to win, then mediation is likely not the best option in your case.

Divorce mediation is supposed to be a win/win process. The goal is to provide a peaceful, private setting in which you and your spouse can air your differences in an amicable fashion. You agree to listen to each other with open minds and treat each other fairly and respectfully.

Mediation may have numerous benefits

Successfully mediating your divorce means you won't have to go to court. It also means that you can retain control over the terms of agreement rather than having a judge make decisions on your behalf.

Mediation is typically a lot less expensive than litigation, so it can be greatly beneficial if saving money is one of your main concerns. It also takes less time than trying to resolve issues in a courtroom, especially if you and your spouse are willing to work as a team to devise a fair and agreeable settlement.

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