A hostile lawyer.
A high-conflict client.
Hardball tactics.
Trying to control me (mediator).
What made it worse?
We’d already discussed this in pre-mediation.
They defined what a successful, even enjoyable, mediation would look like and committed to that.
And yet… here we were.
Inside, I was fuming.
Not flustered. Just angry.
Then I asked a question driven by my own frustration and anger.
It was the wrong question.
I realised it the second it left my mouth.
It deserved a reaction.
I remember thinking, "This could end it all."
I had a choice.
Leave it there, double down on it and let my emotions dictate my next sentence and behaviour going forward.
Or slow down and refocus to start asking questions that would help me reconnect and re-influence.
I decided to refocus.
They didn’t react.
That was proof.
Mediation doesn’t require a perfect performance.
It requires knowing what works, what doesn’t, and how to recover when you make a mistake and preparing for that.
If you feel like you have to be perfect because you’re afraid of making a mistake, looking stupid, or being challenged, that fear isn’t helping you.
What helps is having a prepared plan you trust and can come back to.
We’re live in 2 days for Mediation Mastery.
đź“… 11 February 2026 | 8:00am AEDT
This is where we’ll build your mediation plan together.
You won’t have to do it perfectly, but it will give you a definite advantage.
Barristers and lawyers register HERE
