Trained as a workplace mediator… now what?

Those of us who choose to train as workplace mediators do so because we truly believe in the benefits of mediation. We want to help people to resolve conflict constructively, repair working relationships and avoid the damage that workplace conflict causes to organisations and their employees. So we find a good training programme, we get trained, and we start mediating… or not! The problem is that good training will give you the skills and confidence but it won’t give you the business ability to put those skills into practice.

Over my 15 years of running my mediation business I’ve often had calls from recently trained mediators who are looking for guidance on how to build their business. They have completed their training but the work isn’t coming in. Most of us have been there – it’s very rare for someone to have a rich source of mediation work from day 1. Some of the issues I come across (and experienced myself!) are:

1.        Spending money you don’t need to

The obvious one is building a website. Yes we do need to make people aware of what we do but you can do this without a website. There are other money drains too like paying to join directory listings, printed marketing materials, journal advertising. You can market very cheaply to start with. Invest your time in talking to your contacts, making new contacts and if you want to do something online, focus on getting a great LinkedIn profile and building an online presence. The website will be important at some point but not necessarily straight away.

2.        Not being clear who you are targeting

I wasted a lot of time going to networking events where I wasn’t meeting the people who might buy from me. It’s really important to understand who buys workplace mediation services and how to reach them. Work out how to get in front of these people and what you are going to say to them when you do.

3.        Avoiding your first case as ‘not ready’

Procrastination is a real hazard for new mediators. It’s natural that we might think how can I mediate a case when I haven’t had any experience – so I’ll do lots of practice sessions and observations before I start. Actually if you have been trained well you are ready to start. As with any skill, it will take time and practice to improve but don’t avoid getting that first case because you don’t feel ready.

4.        Undervaluing yourself

Don’t make the mistake of offering a low price either because you feel as a new mediator you can’t charge ‘full’ prices, or because you think you need to undercut the competition. Putting prices up later is more difficult and charging low prices undervalues not only your work but mediators’ work in general. Review the market to see what others are charging and set a fair price for what you are offering.

5.        Working in isolation

OK, I admit this was a big mistake I made. Having worked in the corporate world for many years I assumed in my new world everyone else doing similar work to me would see me as a competitive threat and treat me accordingly. As such I put off for far too long seeking collaboration with fellow mediators. Once I did it proved very fruitful. Plus you need support networks, and who better than people doing similar work to you.

None of the above reflects on your skills as a mediator. Being an excellent mediator and running a successful mediation business are two different disciplines, and your mediation training only equips you for the former.

For those people who have rung me looking for guidance in the past I’ve always offered some thoughts on what might help them. Now I’ve decided to go a step further and be more organised in what I can offer. I’ve developed a mentoring programme for newly trained workplace mediators, to help them build their practice through three to five one-hour mentoring sessions plus a suite of practical tools. It draws on my 15 years experience of building my own successful workplace mediation business. The programme ‘Building Your Mediation Business’ is available now and you can find out more at www.mediation4.co.uk/mentoring.