Alternative Dispute Resolution
Apr. 25, 2024
Understanding mediation through the narrative arc
The similarities between the progression of Shakespeare’s ‘The Winter’s Tale’ and the narrative arc of the mediation process – an analogy that emphasizes the importance of the communication phase and addressing the parties’ interests and needs.
Lisa B. Morgan
Mediator,
I was reviewing mediation briefs when my daughter called to tell me that she secured a role in her university’s production of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. When we hung up I returned to my briefs and thought about the seasonal division of the play. Part tragedy, part romantic-comedy, the tragic portion occurs in winter and the happier, comic portion is depicted in the spring. Interestingly, a two-part division is how I signpost a day of...