In the case of Reymundo and Noah, the mediator recorded the points of agreement, each party signed the agreement before closing the session, and the mediator made cop ies for each individual. In Eli’s school case, the state agency required a written and signed agreement. In workplace and other contexts of mediation, the parties will want to know prior to the session whether the agreement will be private between the two of them, if it will be placed in their personnel files, or if it is open to other forms of public disclosure.
REFLECT ON variables that affect a case. What might happen in the Reymundo and Noah mediation if the mediator made any of the following choices?
1. Allowing uninterrupted talk from each party
2. Holding a private meeting with each party
3. Focusing mostly on the emotions of the parties or mostly on the special project
4. Not allowing parties to speak to one another during the mediation
5. Not writing a formal agreement
6. Having the agreement private between the parties or sharing the agreement with their
supervisor