TOT 115: Summarizing

Summarizing by way of restatement is not just telling the gist of the lengthy narrative given by the participants in mediation. Summarization by the mediator has to include the technique of reflection of emotion and identification of interest of the narrator. Bringing out the meaning of the contents of the narrative of the participants in mediation through summarizing is an art. 

In order to strengthen the trainees in this communication skill the following exercise may be used :

1. A lengthy passage consisting of the narrative given by each of the disputing parties running into approximately two pages each, is to be given to all the trainees.
2. The narrative is to be in a monologue form.
3. One of the trainers has to play the role of the disputing party. 
4. Some of the trainees are to be requested to play the role of mediator and restate the narrative.
5. Narrative of one of the two disputing parties must be taken 
6. The written script may be read over loudly by the trainer, playing the role of party to the trainee mediator. 
7. All the other trainees, and the other co trainers have to be requested to evaluate the restatement made by the trainee- mediator, by noting down the points.
8. At the end, the trainer who has played the role of mediator will have to give the feed back. Later the other co trainers and the other participants/trainees have to be requested to give their feed back.
9. The same process has to be followed with the narrative of the other disputing party.

Evaluation can be done (1) by using white board and marker or (2) by using a printed chart, prepared well in advance and distributed to the participants after pre-briefing.

Evaluation charts collected from all can be handed over to the trainee mediator.

Feedback from the trainee mediator can be taken. Trainee mediators may be asked to do self-evaluation.

EXAMPLE OF EVALUATION CHART

Questions	Remarks	Suggestion if any in one sentence
Whether the summarization was good /bad or ok/or excellent
Was the mediator establishing connection with the party?
Was the mediator demonstrating understanding and empathy?
Did the mediator sound too mechanical?
Did the mediator leave out any important information conveyed by the party? What was it?
Did the mediator use the technique of, reflection, filtering, neutral reframing?Which technique was not used?
How long did the mediator take while restating the narrative ? Was it too long? Or too short or appropriate?
How was the body language of the mediator?

such other questions may be incorporated into the chart.

PREPARATION:

1. Trainer has to keep the narratives of both parties ready well in advance.

Trainer has to spend quality time in the preparation of chart.

2. The chart has to include questions depending on the background of the trainees

And also depending on whether it is an advanced course or a refresher course?

3.  The questions in the chart should instill enthusiasm in the trainees towards learning more about the technique of summarizing which they might have thought of or presumed as a very simple technique.
4. The questions in the chart will have to be cautiously prepared, so that they help in strengthening the trainees in several associated skills and techniques that are to be made part of summarization.
5. Sufficient number of copies must be kept ready. 

Advantages

Both trainers and trainees will learn that every part of the mediation process is a meaningful process and a casual approach will not be appreciated. 

They will learn that mindfulness and effective participation of the mediator is to be meticulously demonstrated.

They will learn that ‘there is much more to learn’ and get motivated to work on themselves. 

Professionalism of the trainer gets reflected when such exercises are made part of a refresher or advanced course.

Caution: 2-3 minutes of pre-briefing as to what is required to be done by whom has to be done 

5 minutes of debriefing related to the feedback from participants and trainers should also be done.

“Perhaps the best test of a man’s intelligence is his capacity for making a summary.”

Giles Lytton Strachey
English Writer and Critic

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(All copyrights reserved by the author S.Susheela)