We’re not all quick studies. During a mediation session you may need to give the same message several times, in different ways, for a party to accept what you’re saying. Research in advertising shows that you normally need to be exposed to a product at least seven times before you would consider buying it.

In a mediation you frequently need to convince parties (and sometimes their attorneys) to consider ideas and approaches that are not only different but the opposite of what they want to believe. Like teaching a new math formula or how to shoot a basketball, saying something just once or twice probably won’t do the trick. You have to repeat the information and advice a number of times but in different ways so it will be effective.

Persuasive techniques in written and spoken forms have been developed over millennia to influence others. Whether you’re a parent trying to convince your child to eat vegetables or you’re a multi-national corporate CEO trying to convince another CEO to sell or merge a business, persuasion is persuasion just the people involved and the goals change. That ability to educate and convince others in a mediation is key to being successful.

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