Merging Ethiopian Wise-Counsel Mediation and Facilitative ...

I.4 How to use this Training ManualThis training manual is prepared for anyone who wants to facilitatea participatory training process in conflict mediation. The useof the manual, however, is not limited to mediation trainers only.The manual can be used as a basic reference and working guide toany institution or association of people who want to institutionalisemediation capacities.As a training guide, the manual is best applied in the Ethiopiancontext with or without translation into local languages as situationsmay warrant. Since the entire organisation of its contents is bydesign practice-oriented, participants are expected to learn by doingand lead the process of learning. Whatever language and other backgroundsthe participants may have, the training approach guided bythis manual facilitates learning by relating concepts to practical lifesituations, cases and personal experiences.Participatory learning exercises and games are a key componentof the manual. Most people like games, but there are individualdifferences in appreciating and participating in learning processesthat involve games. Hence the trainer has to make careful assessmentsof how to introduce and facilitate participatory learning gamesand exercises depending on cultural appropriateness (includinggender, age, social status and social codes of proper conduct); thelevel of the participants’ exposure, understanding and choice andother context-specific factors. In general, all games and exercises inthis manual are tested to have worked and to have been appreciatedin the Ethiopian context.Trainers can prepare additional handouts from the manual byextracting content that does not relate to the trainers’ instructions,guides and tips. The trainer may use additional resources such asvideos on mock-mediation sessions and materials for case analysis.However, in using such materials, trainers should consider sessionrelevance, participants’ level of understanding and the time factor.Overall the material is designed to be user friendly. Academicdiscussions and in-depth analyses of concepts are deliberatelyavoided in this manual since the objective is to equip users withmediation skills in a simple, practical and objective manner. To beeffective, it is important that the manual is trained by a skilled andexperienced mediator.The manual is designed to train skills in mediation and it willtake approximately two weeks to complete all exercises. However, itis produced as a “model kit” out of which the trainer might select thesequences and exercises that best suit the trainer’s environment andtarget group. The rationale behind this is that each training shouldbe tailored to the interests and needs of the target group. Therefore,the sequence of the training sessions and exercises follows the logicof how we suggest conducting the training but it should be modifiedaccording to the target group and context.The manual is composed of seven parts. Part I includes a forewordand a general background. A brief Part II then focuses on thehistory and background of the merger of facilitative mediation withwise-counsel mediation and presents their methodical commonalities,differences and synergies. Part III is the core of the manual.Here, crucial elements for mediation sessions, such as understandingconflict; the principle of win-win; change of perspective; the importanceof grounding questions; and positions, interests and needs(PIN) are introduced. The mediation process and its ethical normsare also highlighted here.As this book is also prepared as a trainer’s manual, Part IVexplores general training skills useful in delivering mediationtraining. References (Part V) and authors’ biographies (Part VI) andappendices (Part VII) follow.The manual’s users are encouraged to contact the authors, GIZCPS, and inmedio Berlin for any backstopping support. It is our hopethat you will find this material to be a valuable and user-friendlyresource and enjoy working with it. We wish you a productive useof the manual!Introduction11