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| Janna Imel |
By Janna Imel, Class of 2014
This semester I have been doing a service internship at Hotel Louisville. Owned and operated by Wayside Christian Mission, Hotel Louisville offers many programs to help families experiencing homelessness. In fact, four floors of the functioning hotel are used for transitional housing. In just six weeks, I have helped teach mediation skills to a variety of people (lawyers, administrators, managers, caseworkers, social workers, students, etc.). Most of my students are employees at Hotel Louisville and interact with tense situations each day. The course was designed to teach conflict resolution skills for the workplace and daily life. Mediation skills can transform lifestyles, as students learn to effectively dissolve conflict and express feelings and ideas without aggression. Our students gained valuable listening and communication skills, awareness of conflict sources, mediation practice, and skills to serve as a neutral.
Since mediation is learned best through practice, we held many interactive and role-play situations. This practice solidified the information students gained from their readings on mediation. As part of my internship, I also provide optional coaching for those seeking further education in the field of mediation and collaboration skills. I am excited to report that I will begin my follow-up coaching at the end of this week.
Our students expressed great satisfaction with the skills they gained. Students were able to become aware of possible biases and learn to control for them in mediation situations. In the future, they can step back and consider all viewpoints equally before making a decision. Students also learned how to be "active listeners." Oftentimes, we think we are listening, but in reality, the speaker's words are going straight through our ears. In order to de-escalate conflict and work toward a solution, you must actively listen. Active listening constitutes playing an active role in the conversation. For example, you should acknowledge what the speaker is saying, ask clarifying questions, refrain from interruption and maintain good eye contact, etc. Many conflicts occur because of a lack of communication. I have found that by practicing active listening, I run into far less conflicts and problems that would result from poor communication.
Overall, I think our mediation skills pilot course went well. Our first six-week program concluded on Feb. 14, with 22 graduates from the program. Throughout the next year, we hope to turn this program into more than just training. We want to create mediation services for the Louisville community, while also training more mediators.
Janna Imel, of Greenup County, Ky., is a senior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She is studying psychology and political science.