Community mediation is mediation within the community, sometimes using

volunteer mediators. Disputes that have no official resolution mechanism, or

one that is not accessible due to cost or other factors, can be resolved this
way. Community mediation may include disputes involving community groups,
small businesses, neighbours, families, and possibly some justice issues.

Complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction. Complaints are often made

about an organisation’s products, service, staff, or the handling of a complaint,
where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly required.

Co-mediation is mediation conducted by two or more mediators. The

respective mediators may bring different skills to the process, for example,
technical or subject matter expertise, the status of a revered elder, or dispute
resolution expertise. See mediation.

Conciliation is a process with wide variations in meaning, and may be used to

refer to a range of processes used to resolve complaints and disputes
including:

 Informal discussions held independently between the parties and an

external agency in an endeavour to avoid, resolve or manage a dispute.
 Combined processes in which, for example, an impartial party facilitates
discussion between the parties, provides advice on the substance of the
dispute, makes proposals for settlement or actively contributes to the
terms of any agreement.

The conciliator may have an advisory role on the content of the dispute or the
outcome of its resolution but not usually a determinative role. The conciliator
may advise on or determine the process of conciliation whereby resolution is
attempted, and may make suggestions for terms of settlement, give expert
advice on likely settlement terms, and may actively encourage the participants
to reach an agreement.

Conference/Conferencing is a general term which refers to meetings in which

the parties and/or their advocates and/or third parties discuss issues in
dispute. Conferencing may have a variety of goals and may combine
facilitative and advisory dispute resolution processes. It applies to
both plenary and caucusing sessions.

Conflict coaching is defined as a set of skills and strategies used to support

peoples’ ability to engage in, manage, or productively resolve conflict. In this
process, the conflict coach works one-on-one with someone experiencing
conflict with another person. Conflict coaching enables the coachee to talk
about the conflict with a neutral third party (the conflict coach), consider
options for managing the conflict, and design an approach to discuss the
conflict with the other person. Conflict coaching can be used as a stand-alone
process, or can be practiced with each of the parties in separate meetings
during mediation. [1]

Consensus building is the process of building common ground.

Counselling refers to a wide range of processes designed to assist people to

solve personal and interpersonal issues and problems.

D
Dispute is a disagreement.

Dispute resolution refers to all processes that are used to resolve disputes,
whether within or outside court proceedings. Dispute resolution includes
approaches that prevent disputes or enable parties to manage and resolve
their disputes without intervention. Dispute resolution processes may
be facilitative, evaluative, advisory or determinative (see descriptions
under Mediation and Med/arb).

Dispute resolution practitioner is a person who conducts themselves

impartially to assist those in dispute to resolve the issues between them.
Practitioners may work for government or in the private sector, either as part
of a dispute resolution organisation or as an individual directly engaged by
parties.

E
Early neutral evaluation is a process in which the parties to a dispute present
arguments and evidence to a dispute resolution practitioner at an early stage.
That practitioner makes an assessment of the key issues in dispute and the
most effective means of resolving the dispute without determining the facts of
the dispute. The practitioner may express a view on the likely outcome if the
dispute proceeds to court or arbitration.

Expert appraisal is a process in which a dispute resolution practitioner (the

expert appraiser), chosen on the basis of their expert knowledge of the
subject matter of a dispute, investigates the dispute. The appraiser then
provides advice on the facts of the dispute, the possible and desirable
outcomes, and the means whereby those outcomes may be achieved.

Expert determination is a process, in contrast to arbitration, in which the

parties to a dispute present arguments and evidence to a dispute resolution
practitioner, who is chosen on the basis of their specialist qualification or
experience in the subject matter of the dispute (the expert) and who makes a
binding or non-binding determination, typically without a hearing or needing to
comply with the rules imposed on arbitrators (e.g. natural justice).

Expert mediation is a process in which the parties to a dispute, with the

assistance of a dispute resolution practitioner chosen on the basis of his or
her expert knowledge of the subject matter of the dispute (the expert
mediator), identify the disputed issues, develop options, consider alternatives
and endeavour to reach an agreement.