It is amazing how much gets done in a few days twice a year with two meetings a year. The rest of the business is conducted at the offices and through e-mails, phone calls and smaller meetings.

One of the groups I was in was a Mediator's Forum. It consisted of mediators from all over the state. Many had taken the National Association of Realtor Mediator Training. There were some great discussions.

In our businesses, very often the people we can have problems with are people that we will be working with on other deals in the future. That in itself is probably one of the best reasons for mediating instead of arbitrating.

If you have a problem that could be arbitrated, I would advise trying to mediate first.

After a mediation you almost always walk away with a better understanding of the situation and usually a solution. Either making both people happy, or equally unhappy :).

When you go to arbitration, there is a winner and a loser, but very often the relationship continues with difficulty.

I would urge people to try mediation in many areas of life. Instead of a court divorce, instead of a lawsuit. I think especially with a divorce when there are children involved it is a great solution if you can get beyond the negative emotions.

All the best!