Five questions to ask before training

 

LSM Director and former member of the Civil Mediation Council's mediator training committee Judith Kelbie offers advice to people looking to train as a mediator: there are, she says, five big questions to ask any training provider:

(1)  How long has your organisation really  been established?   LSM has been training mediators since 2003 and has developed a worldwide reputation, with courses on five continents.  We are, however, aware from complaints and comments made of organisations whose websites suggest that they have been in exisitence for longer, even since 2001, but in reality have only existed for a few summers.  Be careful - there are rogues out there.

(2)  How many mediators has your organisation trained in the last year?  LSM has trained over 500 people in the last year on its various courses around the world.  You cannot expect to be a competent or capable training provider if you are only training a few dozen, especially if they are mainly students who do not really understand the difference between good professional training, and money making schemes.

(3)  When did your course leaders qualify as mediators?  LSM's course leaders qualified more than a decade ago - in one case first mediating when it was called conciliation in 1978, and in another in 2003.  You should not be taught by course leaders who have less than ten years of experience actually mediating.  We know of some organisations whose leaders qualified only in December 2012 or later, yet claim to have enormous experience.  It is simply not possible to gain this in a such a short time.  

(4)  How many mediations have your course leaders undertaken?  LSM's course leaders have all undertaken hundreds of mediations, both in this country and abroad, and bring the highest levels of experience to the training room.  Other organisations use leaders who have never mediated, but have attended courses or simply read books on the subject.  You would not learn to drive from someone who has simply watched a grand prix - insist on great experience.

(5)  Is your training centre NOCN Accredited / Recognised?  It is all very well being a member of the Civil Mediation Council but, good as that organisation is (and two of our leaders were instrumental in establishing it) but it does not yet check competencies of training organisations.  Independent and rigorous assessment by NOCN (the National Open College Network, set up by the Government) is a real quality mark.  Do not be fooled by "CPD accreditations" or similar marks - these are meaningless for quality.  Similarly, using Law Society logos is not a measure of quality or testing.

For more information, call Judith or John Harvey on 0207 583 0444/01423 874599 to discuss your hopes, dreams, concerns, or plans - and be guaranteed real, open answers.