Once everyone is in the same room, then the process commences with you as the mediator making an opening statement. The purpose of this is to reiterate your role again, the key principles of the process, and an outline of what is going to happen.

You may feel like you are repeating yourself but this is an important step. In particular, it gives the parties an opportunity to further settle down now they are in the same room. In some situations, it may be the first time that the parties have set eyes on each other in some time and they will be anxious and nervous.

Your opening statement also ensures that you go through the key points with everyone present and listening to the same message at the same time. Finally, it establishes your position as having authority and being in control of the process.

Again you will find your own way of doing this, but here is a checklist of the things that I would generally cover in an opening statement.

All of these points are...