Participants receive pre-course materials which they are required to read. They must then complete a series of pre-course questions to prepare them for the course. Their answers are assessed and contribute to their overall assessment.

The pre-course materials are provided in hard copy and comprise the following:

• A copy of the recently published book Commercial Mediation: a User's Guide by Brand, Steadman and Todd;
• Rules regulating the conduct of mediation proceedings in the Highs Courts of South Africa;
  • Uniform Rule 34 - Offer to Settle;
  • Uniform Rule 37 - Pre-trial Conference;
  • Uniform Rule 41A - Mediation as a Dispute Resolution Mechanism;
• Rules regulating the conduct of mediation proceedings in the Magistrate’s Courts of South Africa;
• An article for mediators on basic civil procedure in the Magistrates’ Courts of South Africa;
• Recent decisions in South African, English and Welsh courts, relating to mediation

1. Welcome
2. An introduction to mediation as compared with other dispute resolution processes
3. The phases of mediation
4. The preparation phase of mediation 
   1. Contact between the mediator and the parties and their representatives
   2. The Agreement to Mediate
   3. The principles of mediation
5. Starting the mediation process
   1. Preliminary private meetings
   2. The joint opening meeting
6. The exploration phase of mediation 
7. Understanding approaches to negotiation
   1. Positional vs interested based bargaining
   2. The negotiator's dilemma
8. Demonstrations of these phases by the trainers
9. Role-play session one
10. Debrief of learnings

1. Welcome and group reflection on lessons from the previous day
2. Active listening skills for mediators
3. Process choices facing the mediator
4. Working with emotions as a mediator
5. The generating options phase of mediation 
6. The bargaining phase of mediation
   1. How the mediator coaches the parties to bargain strategically
   2. How the mediator uses reality testing to assist the parties to assess their risks
   3. How the mediator deals with potential deadlock
7. Ethical dilemmas facing a mediator and how to manage these
8. The ending phase of the mediation
9. Demonstrations of these phases by the trainers
10. Role-play sessions two and three
11. Debrief of learnings

1. Welcome and group reflection on managing bias as a mediator
2. Review of mediator competencies
3. How mediators work with lawyers
4. Roleplay session four
   1. Practising the early phases of the mediation process
   2. Coaching and individual feedback to mediators by trainers
5. Roleplay session five
   1. Practising the middle phases of the mediation process
   2. Coaching and individual feedback to mediators by trainers
6. Roleplay session six
   1. Practising the later phases of the mediation process
   2. Coaching and individual feedback to mediators by trainers
7. Debrief of learnings

1. Welcome and group reflection on managing anxiety as a mediator
2. Roleplay session seven
   1. Assessment and individual feedback to mediators by trainers
3. Roleplay session eight
   1. Assessment and individual feedback to mediators by trainers
4. Roleplay session nine
   1. Assessment and individual feedback to mediators by trainers
5. Debrief of learnings

1. Welcome and group reflection on fundamental shifts in understanding of dispute resolution
2. Roleplay session ten
   1. Assessment and individual feedback to mediators by trainers
3. Roleplay session eleven
   1. Assessment and individual feedback to mediators by trainers
4. Roleplay session twelve
   1. Assessment and individual feedback to mediators by trainers
5. Debrief of learnings
6. Discussion about marketing yourself as a mediator
7. Discussion of post-course assignment and accreditation process
8. Opportunity to meet informally.

Participants are required to complete a post-course assignment which is assessed and which contributes to their overall assessment. The assignment comprises the following:

• Drafting an Agreement to Mediate which the parties would sign before the commencement of the mediation.
• Submitting a written assignment in which they address the following:
  • Discuss what you have learnt about yourself from this course, and what will you do differently in future when managing conflict and disputes. 
  • Discuss what practical steps you can take to promote the use of mediation in the work you do and more generally in South Africa. 

In order to meet the International Mediation Institute standards for online training, participants who attend an online course are also required to:

• Conduct a one-hour in-person mediation role-play, and submit a recording thereof;
• Submit a written assignment in which they address the following: 
  • Explain how you would arrange the venue for an in-person mediation including having sufficient rooms, ensuring suitable refreshments and useful equipment, the layout of tables and chairs and the seating arrangements 
  • Explain how you would build rapport with parties for an in-person mediation. 
  • Compare the experience of in-person and online mediation, what is different and how you would adapt from online to in-person.