The Role of Interactional Competence in Mediation

In this paper I analyze the interactional techniques disputants use to construct effective opening statements in mediation sessions. Using a single case analysis, I show how the use of specific interactional techniques by the first disputant created a frame for the second disputant’s opening statement which constricted the paths available to him to present his side of the dispute in a favorable manner. I conclude with a discussion of the relevance of disputants’ interactional competence for mediator’s efforts to effectively balance power between disputants.