If you’ve heard about online family mediation, you may have wondered how it works and what the differences are in practice from regular mediation. With regular mediation, the participants are typically in the same room together with the mediator. With online mediation, the participants are connected to each other and to the mediator through their webcams. This means that mediation can take place even when participants live in separate towns or countries, or don’t live close to a mediator.

Family mediation over the internet is similar to family mediation in the same room. There are some important differences, though. And if you can see the benefits of online family mediation, it’s a good idea to understand the potential pitfalls as well. Otherwise the mediation might turn out to be unsafe, impractical or simply unworkable.

Essential requirements for online mediation

Internet connection

The starting point is a good, reliable internet connection. Wifi is usually best, but 4G mobile network can be faster for some than wifi. The speed needs to be fast enough for reliable audio and video quality. It needs to be reliable enough to minimise any risk of audio or video failure.

Comfortable environment

Holding a three way conversation over the internet takes careful planning. The room set up is hugely important, A comfortable chair and a desk or table for your preferred device are essential. Sitting still and watching a screen for an hour is surprisingly tiring. You’ll probably want a beverage close to hand, as well as a notepad and pen.

Privacy

Next, and equally important, is privacy – a room at home, or at work which will not be interrupted – is an absolute must. But it’s not just interruption from work colleagues or children which needs taking care of, but from phones ringing, lawnmowers chugging and dogs barking too.

Communication

When in a room, most of us look at the person we’re talking to: we will look into their eyes. Online, this isn’t quite so straightforward. We may think we’re looking at the person on the screen who we’re talking to, but if there are two people on the screen, it will not be clear to them who is being spoken to. Even if we look at the webcam when talking, both of the other participants will sense we are looking into their eyes. What this means is that the participants need to understand that the usual rules of visual communication should be clarified and adapted to ensure nobody is offended and good communication prevails.

Could online mediation work for you?

These are just a few of the arrangements that need to be understood and arranged for any online mediation. Anderson Mediation was the first mediation service in England to routinely offer online family mediation services. We understand the benefits and the risks. It is not suitable for all situations, but we’d be happy to explore its suitability for your matter. To find out more, visit www.andmediation.com or call us on +44 1473 487427 for a confidential chat.