This interactive webinar equips mediators with practical, evidence-based skills to enhance presence, reduce barriers, and build trust in the mediation room. The SOLER model is familiar in counselling and communication training, but it is not widely applied or fully understood in mediation practice. We will examine how to use it effectively, how it can inform your mediation practice, and where it can fall short.
Learning Outcomes:
• Understand the five SOLER micro-skills and their correct application
• Learn how to avoid appearing scripted or artificial
• Recognise cultural cautions and adapt SOLER across diverse contexts
• Gain insight into practical do’s and don’ts, illustrated with real cases
Practical Value for Mediators:
Mediation success depends not only on structure and process but also on how the mediator attends to the parties. Poor attending reduces trust and limits progress. Skilled attending supports openness, psychological safety, and movement towards agreement. We will also highlight the limitations of SOLER and the risks of rigid application. By adapting the model for mediation, participants will learn techniques tailored to managing conflict and fostering cooperation, beyond standard counselling approaches.
Key Topics:
1. Applying the SOLER framework in mediation practice
2. Presence and credibility over technique
3. Adapting SOLER across different cultural contexts
4. Reducing distraction and bias to improve focus
Format:
• Interactive, two-hour live webinar with discussion
• Downloadable handouts, checklists, and learning materials
• Delivered live online via Zoom
Speaker:
Tony Buon is an organisational psychologist, mediator, and author with more than thirty years’ experience in mediation. He has taught at universities in the UK and internationally, written extensively on communication and mediation, and trained thousands of professionals across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. His work focuses on clear, practice-based approaches that improve communication and professional practice.
Cost: £40 for Scottish Mediation members and £60 for non-members.
This session will take place on Zoom and a link will be sent out nearer the time.
