Guiding the Dynamic Mediation Process With Metaphors

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Guiding the Dynamic Mediation Process With
Metaphors

• Thomas Smith
• Asociace Mediatoru Ceské RepublikyPrague

Part 1 Metaphor
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Overall Outline

• Metaphoric Framing in Mediation.
• Mediation as Management of a Complex, Adaptive
  Relationship System.
• The Metaphoric Frames That Work Well for Simpler
  Conflicts.
• Metaphoric Frames More Suited to Complex
  Conflicts.

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Very often mediators act as though

• Conflict resolution can be done in a series of
  pre-defined steps.
• The conflict can be broken down into its separate
  parts.
• Each part can be re-shaped, moved into place.
• Then the whole can be fit back together into an
  agreement.
• Not always true that we can assemble the pieces
  so easily and move disputants out of conflict,
  towards a suitable agreement.
• Events occur, grievances emerge, emotions erupt
• But first let us examine simple metaphoric
  frames.

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Divorce Case case J

• He says we are going on different paths. He says
  we had thought we were going the same way, but we
  arent we are really headed for different
  places.
• She says, nobody pushed you into marriage and
  having children. Because we both love the
  children, we could be open-minded and find a way
  to stay together. 4

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Marriage is a Journey obvious metaphor frame -?

• If detected, the mediator can join it, reflect it
  back, reframe it, expand on it, co-develop it
  with clients. 5

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Two-Person Exercise Examine Metaphor Frame

• Case J
• Turn to person next to you..
• Do you find the Journey metaphor?
• Do you find other metaphors?
• Are other metaphors related?
• Discuss.

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Usefulness of metaphor

• Detecting metaphor requires very careful
  listening.
• Hear the themes in disputants' own language and
  thought.
• Develop rapport through awareness, sensitivity,
  reflecting back, asking questions...
• By sustaining a metaphor you sustain familiar
  cognitive structure.
• Uncover more dimensions of what is being thought.
• Use the metaphor frame to unify and synthesize.
• Describe alternatives and options in coherent
  terms. 7

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Disputants Use Metaphors to Describe and Explain
What Has Happened, What They See, What They Want

• Anatomy of Metaphor Source and Target Domains
• How to Identify Metaphors
• Some practice

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full S-T
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push
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Different paths
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Now, identify metaphoric wordsHe says they
were going on different paths.
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They were really headed for different places.
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They could find a way to stay together.
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push again
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Two-Person Exercise experience the Source Domain

• Pair with person nearby.
• "I feel I'm being pushed into something."
• Try to think of 3, 4, or 5 distinctly different
  ways that a person might literally, physically be
  "pushed".
• Then apply these source domain ideas to the
  target domain situation of a negotiation where
  someone "feels pushed into something. What
  questions might you ask?

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inference patterns
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Sensitizing Yourself to Metaphor Frames

• What are the most common metaphors you will find
  in mediation?
• Will it be helpful to become more familiar with
  these metaphors?

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Most Widely Used Metaphorsin conflict resolution
negotiation 19

• Journey
• Game/Sport
• War/Struggle
• Material Object/Substance
• Building Construction
• Personification/Animation

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Hearing and Responding to a Metaphor in Dialog
Helps to know what a metaphor includes

• O.K., I think that were making progress
  already
• if we can just go back for a minute to
• You said you were going to re-evaluate your
  position in light of the discussion.
• But we can probably find some middle ground
  that will provide us the assurance
• I want to just pursue that a little bit
  further
• Yes, that is where we fundamentally disagree.
• theres really just a little bit of distance
  between us at this point and it comes right
  back down to my expectations.
• heres the alternative, wed like to go with
  this alternative.

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• Can you see how previous examples
  illustratemajor groups of entailments?

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map
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full24 map
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Metaphors, like the ones considered so far, work
well for simple conflicts or somewhat complicated
conflicts.
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When disputants come together we may expect that
they will - Be reasonable and talk sensibly.
But more likely they will... Avoid their
conflict, or Begin to fight or argue about
their conflict.
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End of Part 1To go on to Part 2 press Esc, then
click on Part 2.