Is it better to meet in person or to mediate online to settle your disagreement or get divorced?
I am finding more and more that conducting the family divorce mediation virtually is faster, more cost effective and less emotional than to mediate in person.
When I mediate In person, the parties have to sit across the table from one another and have to look at the person they no longer want to be around or even married to. They have to listen to the irritating sound of the other person's voice and every time they speak it adds to the irritation they already feel towards the entire process. Now, when I conduct mediation in person, the parties may not sit across the table from one another. They may actually be in different rooms and then I have to go back and forth from room to room relaying messages and trying to work things out without everyone in the same room. This is the MOST costly way to mediate and in my opinion the most ineffective overall. Many attorneys like this way of mediation though as it costs the clients more money which in turn makes the attorney more money. Other attorneys like this way because attorneys are trained to be adversarial. You put two attorneys in a room with their clients and use an INEFFECTIVE mediator that cannot control a room and it is truly a disaster. I for one can handle a room. I don't care where the mediation is being held whether it is in a law office, a courthouse or a neutral conference room. When parties come into my mediation……it's my room.
Online is a completely different scenario then the one previously mention. Conducting your family divorce mediation online has everyone separate yet together. It is truly a very surreal situation where each party can sit comfortably in their own home at a time when they choose. It can be a Sunday afternoon at 2PM or Thursday night at 7PM. Everyone is safe. Everyone can be heard and the issues can get settled. Whether in person or online, I still control the atmosphere. I can mute a party if they get out of control and I can even meet with a party privately if need be just like I can when mediating in person. Due to the surreal factor, it is not so bad to look at the other party or hear them as you will most likely be focussing on the creation of the document as we discuss the issues. Unlike mediation in person where you look at the other party or myself while the I draft your documents, online you get to see everyone in a little video window and you can watch me type your agreement in real time. This cuts down on time and saves you a lot of money. There is no relaying messages back and forth costing more money and spending more time. There is simply less emotion and thus it is easier to move forward with the process and settle the issues. The only thing you need to conduct mediation online is a computer with Internet access, an email address and a webcam with a built in mic.
In the end, the choice is yours. Choose which method my work for you and your spouse, whether in person or online and give us a call at 877.822.1479 to schedule your family divorce mediation today.
Chat Mediation invites you to come and learn more about having either your divorce conducted by one of our State Supreme Court Certified mediators or how you can become part of the most cutting edge virtual companies in the world. To learn more visit us online at http://www.ichatmediation.com or call us at 877-822-1479.
In the words of Lawton Chiles, “I didn’t come to stay, I came to make a difference.”
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