Hannah Tümpel on Mediation, April-July 2020
In the last week of classes in the summer semester, the IDR LL.M. class of 2019/2020 had the opportunity to put the knowledge that we had acquired in the Mediation module taught by Ms Hannah Tümpel, Deputy Executive Director at UWC International, into practice: We were asked to participate in a virtual mock mediation session to improve both our negotiation and mediation skills. As the mock mediators in this exercise, we were asked to effectively solve a comprehensive case in a business setting, under the guidance of five of the most renowned mediators around the globe: Mr Geoff Sharp, Dr Gregory Bond, Mr William Marsh as well as Mr William Wood QC.
This practical exercise revealed to the class the challenges of conducting a sophisticated mediation and working with the concepts and techniques that we studied throughout the classes, such as: BATNA and WATNA (best and worst alternative to a negotiated agreement), interests vs positions, and the use of caucus. It also helped us understand how mediators facilitate communication and guide the parties to a path of mutual gain.
Looking back, one can say that the exercise was definitely one of the highlights of the summer semester. But as an enthusiast of business mediation in general, I believe that much of the module’s value relies also on the extensive practical experience and the realistic approach of our lecturer, Ms Hannah Tümpel, who always made sure to not only introduce the class to the theoretical concepts around mediation, but to also critically discuss them and to test their practicality by applying them to real-life scenarios.
Julia Costa Batalha Magrani, IDR LL.M. Candidate
