The role of interactional competence in mediation

In this article, 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 favorably. I conclude with a discussion of the relevance of disputants' interactional competence for a mediator's efforts to effectively balance power between disputants. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the Association for Conflict Resolution.