Conflict is inherent in living in society. Without social relationships, it simply does not exist. From a slight disagreement to an ancestral war, it is the mirror of disappointed hopes or unsatisfied needs in our private or professional relationships. Entering into conflict, or suffering it, is therefore generally not what we most fervently wish for.
And yet, I have chosen to help people not to fear conflict and even to recognise its virtues. Because it is all a matter of conviction and method. First of all, I believe that a problem without a solution is a problem badly posed (Einstein). So the trick is to distance oneself from the dispute and what is at stake during a constructive dialogue between the parties to help them understand and fulfil their expectations. The main challenge at this stage? Convincing the parties to the conflict that it is possible to unclench their fists without losing their rights, without sacrificing their negotiating positions. Demonstrating that taking a side path does not deprive them of the possibility of reclaiming their place on the clogged highway of Justice at any time if that is their ultimate choice. How can this be achieved? By trusting the process through the person who embodies it: the mediator. It is only because each party truly experiences the mediator's total impartiality, absolute independence and the inviolability of professional secrecy that it engages in a process that re-establishes a constructive dialogue between the parties. What saves is to take one step, one more step. (A. De Saint-Exupery)