STEP 1
Prepare for the Interview
Preparation is the key to a focused interview. During this first step, the interviewer clarifies which mediation process the interview will target. The interviewer then tries to learn as much as possible about the process and the mediator, so as to develop the questions that will be asked in the interview. Preparation also entails clarifying the form of recording to be used, as well as the time and location of the interview.
Focus on a Specific Mediation Process and Time Period
As part of preparing for a specific interview, it is essential for the interviewer to clarify exactly which part and period of the mediation process is to be covered. In the Sudan North-South conflict, for example, the parties to the conflict met in more than twenty different formats. Thus, a mandate to "interview the mediator on the Sudan North-South peace process" is not sufficiently precise. Instead, the mandate should specify, for instance, "interview the chief mediator on the peace process led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development between 2002 and 2005." The question of which process to focus on may be outside the interviewer's control if it is specified in the mandate given to the interviewer. In other cases, however, the interviewer may be able to choose to focus on a particular phase of the mediation process or the mediator may point out what is an interesting process and appropriate phase to analyze.
Some mediation efforts have lasted years or decades with numerous mediators involved. Other efforts have lasted only a few days or months, with only one or a few mediators involved. The choice of focusing on a specific meeting, a few days of a process, or alternatively on a period of months or years is decisive to the outcome of the learning process, but there is no objectively correct choice. Comparison of cases of a very different scale is difficult. Generally, the shorter the time frame analyzed, the more detailed and useful the lessons are concerning med<