Mediation Matters
Early Settlement – East Central
Fall, 2009
In This Issue
 Mediator Success: A
Look Back at the Year
 Keeping Mediation
Skills Strong
 Welcome Aboard New
Mediators!
 Early Settlement goes
YAHOO!
Have an article or idea
to contribute to the next
issue?
Contact your Early
Settlement Office or
email Kathy at:
early.settlement@yahoo.
com
Calendar Considerations
Don’t forget the Annual
Volunteer Conference
on October 22. Help us
celebrate Early
Settlement’s Silver
Anniversary.
Registration must be
complete by the first
week of October. Call
or email the Early
Settlement EC office
today to reserve your
place!
Volume 3, Number 3
Mediator Success: A Look Back at the Year
We’ve all heard of Christmas in July. For the Early Settlement office the
new year truly does begin in July with new funding in place, program
reports due, and yearly statistics concluded. Here is some of the
information from Fiscal Year 2009:
Early Settlement - East Central Program statistics for 2009 show a 20%
increase in referrals over the previous fiscal year. Growth of this kind is
only possible with the help of volunteers. 163 mediations were
conducted by volunteers in the last twelve months. Early Settlement –
East Central volunteers donated a total of 372 hours to the program.
Certainly success in not solely measured by agreement rate, but skilled
mediators are often able to help people in even the toughest cases find
ways to reach resolution. Of the 181 Family and Divorce cases mediated
last year a full 80% ended with either partial or complete agreement.
This agreement rate is well above average and shows the skill of our area
mediators.
A big THANK YOU to every volunteer for giving your time and talents to
Early Settlement Mediation. Completing this important work could not be
possible without you!
Keeping Mediation Skills Strong
“It’s easy to “do what you know.” By comediating or watching others mediate, new
skills can be learned and old skills
sharpened.”
When it’s been weeks, or maybe even months since your last mediation
it’s easy to lose confidence in your mediation skills. Here are a few quick
“tips” to help keep those mediation skills it tip top form.
1. USE LISTENING TOOLS In everyday life we often become lazy
listeners. We don’t bother to look at someone while they speak and often
hear about half of what was said. By remembering to use open ended
questions, reframing, and restatement in daily conversations we can
practice fundamental communication skills critical to mediating
successfully.
Forms in a Hurry!
Run out of forms needed for
an upcoming mediation?
Click here to get what you
need!
http://www.oscn.net/stat
ic/adr/formsandinfo.aspx
PLEASE REMEMBER:
On the “Record of
Termination” Form:
Travel and Mediation
Time MUST be in either
full or half (.5) hours.
2. PICK UP THE MANUAL Remember the thick white binders provided
during Basic and/or Family and Divorce Training? That binder contains
fantastic checklists and articles, such as: “Calming Techniques” and
“Keeping the Momentum Going.” Much of this material was not covered
during training due to time constraints.
3. KEEP LEARNING One of the best ways to keep skills strong is by
adding new learning to the old. Learning opportunities that are easy to
access are: Attend the upcoming Annual Volunteer Conference, read a
book on mediation, or check out online mediation resources.
4. LEARN BY OBSERVING Whether you’ve been out of mediation for a
while, or mediate regularly it’s easy to “do what you know.” By comediating or watching others mediate, new skills can be learned and old
skills sharpened.
5. JUMP IN WITH BOTH FEET The old saying, “use it or lose it” is
somewhat true. It’s best to stay active in mediation to keep skills strong.
If you’ve been out of mediation a while, don’t hesitate to reengage! Old
skills come back quickly when used.
Welcome Aboard
New Mediators
Compete Training in May
COMING UP
In the Next Issue:

VOLUNTEER
SPOTLIGHT: ES-EC
Volunteer of the Year
Congratulations to those completing Early Settlement – East Central Basic
Training held at The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
Participants from the East Central Program completing training included
Joyce Belville, Lou Christian, Crystal Mayhue, Tia Murray, and Terry Winn.

“How To”: Counting
Volunteer Hours
Joyce Belville and Crystal Mayhue also completed the forty hour Family
and Divorce Training held in Midwest City. Welcome aboard to all.

Results of the YAHOO
GROUP Online Poll
Question: “What do
you consider the
most difficult part
about mediating?”
Contact Us
early.settlement@yahoo.
com
Office: 580-559-5674
EARLY SETTLEMENT GOES YAHOO!
A new Yahoo Groups site has been formed for Early Settlement – East
Central. This site is for you.
Join your fellow volunteers online for discussion, information, a calendar
of events, and more! Post any question you have about mediation in
general or share a mediation tip to help others.
Feel free to add mediation related items to the calendar. Use the
calendar to sign up for mediating in Small Claims court. Just place your
name on the appropriate court date and time.
To join us at Yahoo Group go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/earlysettlement