The Practice Playbook Podcast with Susan Guthrie

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Welcome to The Practice Playbook Podcast, the go-to show for legal and dispute resolution professionals who want more than just survival in their practices; they want strategy, sustainability, and success.

Hosted by best-selling author, attorney, mediator, and practice development expert Susan E. Guthrie, this podcast brings you straight-talking insights, actionable tips, and real-world advice on what it takes to thrive in today’s evolving professional landscape. Whether you're a lawyer, mediator, coach, or consultant, you'll learn how to build a business that reflects your values, supports your lifestyle, and positions you as a trusted expert.

Each episode pulls from the strategies in The Practice Playbook book series, featuring topics like:

Ditching the billable hour and implementing flat fees with confidence
Building a thought leadership brand that attracts ideal clients
Using AI and technology to streamline your workflow and boost productivity
Mastering client experience, referrals, and pricing strategy
Real-world case studies, expert interviews, and practice-building stories

From the best-selling author of The Flat Fee Playbook, The Thought Leadership Playbook, The Business Plan Playbook and the founder of The Practice Accelerator membership community - this is your weekly shot of clarity, confidence, and momentum.

Your practice doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It just needs a better playbook.

Episodes

Tuesday Aug 04, 2020

You Need A Lot More Than Zoom in Order to Mediate Online on The Learn to Mediate Online Podcast with Susan Guthrie, Esq. #118

Tuesday Aug 04, 2020

In this episode, Susan Guthrie of Learn to Mediate Online, focuses on the OTHER programs that you need in order to successfully mediate online. Yes, you need a video-conferencing platform, but what about all the other things that take place in an in-person mediation that you won't be able to do when remote? Things such as exchanging documents, signing agreements and paperwork, rifling through your expansion folders for the right piece of paper and even taking a check for payment. All of these functions and more need to be handled remotely during an online mediation and Susan shares what you need to know to make the process a seamless and secure experience for all participants so don't miss this episode!

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As a leading dispute resolution professional, Susan is honored to serve on the Executive Council of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Dispute Resolution Section as the Membership Officer and to be a Co-Chair of the Mediation Committee. Susan also is one of the leading experts in online mediation in the country and trains other professionals in the practical and ethical considerations of conducting their mediations online through her business Learn to Mediate Online (www.learntomediateonline.com.) To date, more than 15,000 dispute resolution professionals have benefited from her online mediation training program which is available through LIVE webinars. See the website for dates and times.

Susan also offers additional training and webinars in (available on www.learntomediateonline.com):

Social Media Marketing for Professionals DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE!

DIY Website Basics DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE!

Building an Online Practice Visit www.learntomediateonline.com for more information

Starting Your Own Podcast Visit www.learntomediateonline.com for more information

Optimize Your Family & Divorce Mediation Practice and MORE so be sure to check the site for dates and times and to REGISTER! LEARN TO MEDIATE ONLINE www.learntomediateonline.com.

Susan is also excited to announce The Mediation Station's 40-Hour Divorce and Family Mediation Training Program in collaboration with Forrest "Woody" Mosten! This very special online training program will debut in September, 2020 and will be held entirely online. Space is limited so reserve your spot today. You can find more information and register at www.themediationstation.com.

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Susan has been featured in and on media outlets such as CNBC, Market Watch, Forbes, Eye on Chicago, WGN, the ABA’s Just Resolutions Magazine, Thrive Global, The Nook Online among others. She is licensed to practice law in the States of California and Connecticut as well as before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Susan's other Podcasts: After a year and half of co-creating and co-hosting the award winning podcast, Breaking Free: A Modern Divorce Podcast which reached over 3 million listeners, Susan recently launched her fresh and inspiring new podcast, The Divorce and Beyond Podcast with Susan Guthrie, Esq. which debuted on iTunes “Top Podcasts” List for self-help podcasts. Divorce & Beyond is focused on pulling back the curtain on the mysteries of the divorce process and bringing tips and resources to help people to thrive and shine in their new future beyond divorce.

Follow us on Instagram: Susan Guthrie, The Divorce & Beyond Podcast and Learn to Mediate Online!

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so that you don't miss an episode and if you enjoyed this episode, please give us a five star review and leave a comment telling us what you liked!

You can reach Susan at susan@learntomediateonline.com

Tuesday Jul 21, 2020

Zoom Fatigue: It's Real and It's Exhausting so What's a Mediator to Do? on the Learn to Mediate Online Podcast with Susan Guthrie, Esq. #117

Tuesday Jul 21, 2020

Have you noticed that you are exhausted after a day filled with video-conferences? How can this be when you haven't left your computer for hours? "Zoom Fatigue" is a very real phenomena and presents an especially tricky problem for online dispute resolution professionals who make their living, especially during quarantine, through the online platform. In this episode, Susan Guthrie, explores just why online conferencing is just so exhausting and most importantly, what you can do about it! It is important to identify this problem, both for yourself as well as for your participants, so that proper precautions and practices can be put in place to keep everyone fresh and at their best. You don't want participants making decisions out of fatigue and this episode has all the tips you need to keep everyone, including you, fresh!

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Susan also offers additional training and webinars in (available on www.learntomediateonline.com):

Social Media Marketing for Professionals DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE!

DIY Website Basics DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE!

Building an Online Practice Visit www.learntomediateonline.com for more information

Starting Your Own Podcast Visit www.learntomediateonline.com for more information

Optimize Your Family & Divorce Mediation Practice and MORE so be sure to check the site for dates and times and to REGISTER! LEARN TO MEDIATE ONLINE www.learntomediateonline.com.

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Follow us on Instagram: Susan Guthrie, The Divorce & Beyond Podcast and Learn to Mediate Online!

Wednesday Jul 15, 2020

The 9 Essential Tips for Making Your Website Work for You in the New Millenium on The Learn to Mediate Online Podcast with Susan Guthrie, Esq. #116

Wednesday Jul 15, 2020

No longer are our websites just a static brochure giving a synopsis of our bio and services. Websites in the 2020s and beyond incorporate more and more elements that help visitors get a more nuanced and complete picture of who you are as a professional and what you can do to help them. With a world increasingly focused on online services and meetings, our website presence is of critical importance and is often a potential client's first impression. If you created your website long ago and haven't looked at it recently or if you haven't updated it with current information in forever, it's time for a refresh and this episode is here to help you do it! Take a listen to find out my top 9 tips for making your website the best representation of your practice that it can be. It's time to put your best website forward!

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Susan also offers additional training and webinars in (available on www.learntomediateonline.com):

Social Media Marketing for Professionals DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE!

DIY Website Basics DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE!

Building an Online Practice

Starting Your Own Podcast

Optimize Your Family & Divorce Mediation Practice and MORE so be sure to check the site for dates and times and to REGISTER! LEARN TO MEDIATE ONLINE www.learntomediateonline.com.

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Follow us on Instagram: Susan Guthrie, The Divorce & Beyond Podcast and Learn to Mediate Online!

Tuesday Jul 07, 2020

From Fear to Joy-Generator: One Experienced Mediator's Journey to Loving Online Mediation with Special Guest, Elliot Herland on the Learn to Mediate Online Podcast with Susan Guthrie, Esq. #115

Tuesday Jul 07, 2020

On this episode, Host and Online Mediation Expert, Susan Guthrie is joined by veteran Workers' Compensation Mediator, Elliot Herland who describes his journey from online mediation novice to seasoned veteran of ODR and the many ways going online has been a "joy-generator" for him.

For many mediators, arbitrators and advocates, the recent disruption of their established practices, due to the constraints imposed by the COVID quarantine, has brought fear and dismay into their world. The inability to continue to meet with clients and participants in person to conduct dispute resolution proceedings left many with the feeling that they were forced to consider moving online. That is not to say that they were excited by the idea. In fact, most reported being worried they would lose the personal touch, that the tech was too hard and frankly, that they would look less than in charge of their proceeding.

Elliot Herland, a successful mediator and arbitrator since 1997 felt much the same as he faced the need to conduct his mediations online. There was much to learn and and the timeline was short as people realized that COVID would not be a momentary disruption. Although Elliot at first was leery of the new platform, he soon realized that there were benefits to the online medium and he was still helping people to resolve their disputes, much as he had in person. In fact, he now describes online mediation as one of his "joy-generators" and encourages other practitioners and attorneys to consider giving online mediation a try! Hear some of Elliot's tips and insights from his journe from fear to ODR Adopter in this episode of the Learn to Mediate Online Podcast!

SOCIAL MEDIA MUSTS FOR PROFESSIONALS Downloadable Program GIVEAWAY from ELLIOT & SUSAN! Elliot and Susan are each giving away one copy of Susan's downloadable Social Media Musts for Professionals Program (normally $57) to TWO listeners. To enter the drawing, just send an email to Susan at susan@learntomediateonline.com and include the "special number" mentioned in the episode in the subject line. Deadline for entries is Friday, July 10th at 5pm ET.

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More About This Week's Guest:

Elliot Herland, Herland Mediation Services

William Mitchell College of Law 1984
Litigator from 1984 to 1997
MN Dept of Labor & Industry, Workers’ Compensation Division, Mediator/Arbitrator 1997 to 2004
Union Construction Workers’ Compensation Program, Dispute Resolution Facilitator 2005 to 2019
Herland Mediation Services since 2004 conducting mediation sessions in person, online and by phone
Assisted in writing a portion of Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Deskbook, Chapter 20, on the topic of collectively bargained workers’ compensation programs
Continuing Legal Education speaker on the topic of alternate dispute resolution in Minnesota’s workers’ compensation systems

For more information on Natalie Armstrong Motin's "Will Work For Food" webinars you can visit her website at https://www.howtomarketmymediationpractice.com/will-work-for-food

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About Our Host: Susan Guthrie, nationally recognized as one of the Top Family Law and Mediation Attorneys in the country, has been helping individuals and families navigate separation and divorce for 30 years. Susan provides online divorce mediation and legal coaching services to select clients around the world.As a leading dispute resolution professional, Susan is honored to serve on the Executive Council of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Dispute Resolution Section as the Membership Officer and to be a Co-Chair of the Mediation Committee.

Susan also is one of the leading experts in online mediation in the country and trains other professionals in the practical and ethical considerations of conducting their mediations online through her business Learn to Mediate Online (www.learntomediateonline.com.) To date, more than 15,000 dispute resolution professionals have benefited from her online mediation training program which is available through LIVE webinars. See the website for dates and times.

Susan also offers additional training and webinars in:

Social Media Marketing for Professionals NOW AVAILABLE AS A DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM

DIY Website Basics (DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM COMING SOON!)

Building an Online Practice

Starting Your Own Podcast

Optimize Your Family & Divorce Mediation Practice

and MORE so be sure to check the site for dates and times and to REGISTER! LEARN TO MEDIATE ONLINE www.learntomediateonline.com

Follow us on Instagram: Susan Guthrie, The Divorce & Beyond Podcast and Learn to Mediate Online!

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so that you don't miss an episode and if you enjoyed this episode, please give us a 5 Star Rating on iTunes and tell us what you liked in a REVIEW!

Tuesday Jun 30, 2020

The Ultimate Guide to Getting the Right Equipment and Setting it Up Properly for Online Mediation Success on the Learn to Mediate Online Podcast with Susan Guthrie, Esq. #114

Tuesday Jun 30, 2020

Much of what makes an online mediation successful lies in the hands of the mediator but it's not all just about skill. Having the right equipment, and setting it up properly, is of the utmost importance in an online or virtual mediation. In this episode, Susan Guthrie, an expert in online mediation, walks you through the equipment that you need in order to conduct your mediations via video-conferencing and how it should all be set up to set you, and your clients, up for success! It's more than just having a laptop with a camera so be sure to watch this episode and find out all the ins and outs of making sure you, and your clients, are ready to go when the mediation starts!

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Susan also is one of the leading experts in online mediation in the country and trains other professionals in the practical and ethical considerations of conducting their mediations online through her business Learn to Mediate Online (www.learntomediateonline.com.)

Susan also offers additional training and webinars in:

Social Media Marketing for Professionals NOW AVAILABLE AS A DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM

DIY Website Basics (DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM COMING SOON!)

Building an Online Practice

Starting Your Own Podcast

Optimize Your Family & Divorce Mediation Practice

and MORE so be sure to check the site for dates and times and to REGISTER! LEARN TO MEDIATE ONLINE www.learntomediateonline.com

Follow us on Instagram: Susan Guthrie, The Divorce & Beyond Podcast and Learn to Mediate Online!

Tuesday Jun 23, 2020

The #1 Mistake Many Mediators are Making When Going Online on The Learn to Mediate Online Podcast with Susan Guthrie, Esq. #113

Tuesday Jun 23, 2020

In this episode of the Learn to Mediate Online Podcast, Online Mediation Expert, Susan Guthrie, shares what the #1 mistake is that many mediators are making as they move their mediations online and most importantly, how you can avoid making the same mistake yourself!

These days it is hard to find a mediator who hasn't at least considered conducting their mediations online and in fact, many have pivoted successfully to virtual mediation and love it. However, there are some practioners out there who are making a BIG mistake when they get online and that mistake is leading to dissatisfaction with the online process for both the mediator and their clients! This is a very avoidable mistake and one that a dispute resolution professional would not be making with the proper preparation. As professionals we owe a duty of competency to our clients and that includes proficiency in the online platform as well as proper education and process even online. Listen to this episode and avoid making the #1 mistake being made by mediators as you get online too!

Online Mediation Hands-On Training: To find out more about the Zoom online mediation training Susan mentioned in this episode put on by her ABA friend and colleague, Walid Abdul-Jawad of Aether Mediation go to https://www.aethermediation.com/odr-zoom-training

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About Our Host: Susan Guthrie, nationally recognized as one of the Top Family Law and Mediation Attorneys in the country, has been helping individuals and families navigate separation and divorce for 30 years. Susan provides online divorce mediation and legal coaching services to select clients around the world.As a leading dispute resolution professional, Susan is honored to serve on the Executive Council of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Dispute Resolution Section as the Membership Officer and to be a Co-Chair of the Mediation Committee.

Susan also offers additional training and webinars in:

Social Media Marketing for Professionals NOW AVAILABLE AS A DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM

DIY Website Basics (DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM COMING SOON!)

Building an Online Practice

Starting Your Own Podcast

Optimize Your Family & Divorce Mediation Practice

and MORE so be sure to check the site for dates and times and to REGISTER! LEARN TO MEDIATE ONLINE www.learntomediateonline.com

Follow us on Instagram: Susan Guthrie, The Divorce & Beyond Podcast and Learn to Mediate Online!

Tuesday Jun 16, 2020

One of the Best Features of Zoom That You Are Probably Not Using But Should Be on The Learn to Mediate Online Podcast with Susan Guthrie, Esq. #112

Tuesday Jun 16, 2020

So many mediation and dispute resolution professionals have pivoted to using Zoom or other video-conference programs to conduct their proceedings online that it seems everyone these days is "Zooming!" However, there is one feature of Zoom (and many of the other programs) that is harldy used by dispute resolution professionals and that is the ability to RECORD! Believe it or not, the ability to record a Zoom meeting can be an incredibly easy and inexpensive way to create useful videos that have a multitude of uses in your practice! You'll probably never hit "Record" in a mediation, but there are many reasons why it just might become one of your favorite features too! Check out this episode to learn one more way you can benefit from your Zoom membership!

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Susan also offers additional training and webinars in:

Social Media Marketing for Professionals NOW AVAILABLE AS A DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM

DIY Website Basics DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM COMING SOON!

Building an Online Practice

Starting Your Own Podcast

A Family and Divorce Mediation Primer

and MORE so be sure to check the site for dates and times and to REGISTER! LEARN TO MEDIATE ONLINE www.learntomediateonline.com

Follow us on Instagram: Susan Guthrie, The Divorce & Beyond Podcast and Learn to Mediate Online!

Tuesday Jun 09, 2020

Insider Tips from an Experienced ODR Professional: What Works and What Doesn't with Doug Witten, Esq. on The Learn to Mediate Online Podcast with Susan Guthrie #111

Tuesday Jun 09, 2020

On this episode of The Learn to Mediate Online Podcast, Host Susan Guthrie speaks with her friend and colleague, Doug Witten, who is an experienced mediator and arbitrator who has handled more than 1,200 cases mainly in workplace, healthcare and contract matters, and who has been conducting online virtual proceedings for years. Susan and Doug explore their personal insights into what works well in the online format and what sometimes goes wrong and why. For so many mediators and dispute resolution professionals who have practices similar to Doug's, who work mainly in separate caucus, will find his experienced insights invaluable in preparing for their own online cases. There is a lot here for advocates too - find out what an experienced online mediator thinks is most important for a successful virtual mediation!

Some Highlights from this Episode:

How the pre-mediation conferences can be one of the most important parts of an online mediation process and why.
How presentations from our ABA colleagues, David Larson and Noam Ebner about 10 years ago and a computer on Jeopardy got Doug interested in ODR.
Why Doug says that COVID has done in a few months what innovators like Colin Rule and others have been trying to do for 20 years.
What is the anectodal feedback about online mediation that Susan has received from the 15,000+ professionals who have taken her course?
Because virtual mediation is so visual, what positive effect does this have on communication between participants?
Why adaptability is so important to success with online mediation.
What is one of the most important things to do BEFORE the mediation starts?
The impact of multilingual participants in an online mediation.

More About This Week's Special Guest:

Douglas J. Witten, Esq., principal of Innovative ADR International LLC, is a mediator and arbitrator who has 24 years of legal experience and has mediated 1200+ cases since becoming a registered neutral in 2003. Doug offers dispute resolution services across a range of areas including healthcare, workplace injuries, and contract matters. He previously practiced healthcare and corporate law, and he also served Georgia’s workers’ compensation agency in management roles including Chief Mediator and Deputy Director of the ADR Division.

Doug is a panel neutral for the American Health Lawyers Association Dispute Resolution Service and for BAY Mediation & Arbitration Services in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a member of ODR Latinoamérica and the International Council for Online Dispute Resolution (ICODR), and he currently serves as co-chair of the American Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section, Mediation Committee’s Just Resolutions subcommittee, and on the Board of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Section.

You can reach out to Doug at dwitten@innovativeadr.com

You can read Doug's fantastic ODR Blog here: https://www.innovativeadr.com/blog/

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Susan also offers additional training and webinars in:

Social Media Marketing for Professionals NOW AVAILABLE AS A DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM

DIY Website Basics DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM COMING SOON!

Building an Online Practice

Starting Your Own Podcast

A Family and Divorce Mediation Primer

and MORE so be sure to check the site for dates and times and to REGISTER! LEARN TO MEDIATE ONLINE www.learntomediateonline.com

Follow us on Instagram: Susan Guthrie, The Divorce & Beyond Podcast and Learn to Mediate Online!

Monday Jun 08, 2020

Creating the "Personal Touch" Online: Building Rapport and Managing Emotions in Online Dispute Resolution with Dr. Debra Dupree on The Learn to Mediate Online Podcast with Susan Guthrie, Esq. #110

Monday Jun 08, 2020

As a leading online dispute resolution professional, by far one of the most common questions that I hear is how do you establish rapport with participants or manage difficult emotions in an online proceeding when everyone is remote from each other? There is great concern that you lose "the personal touch" in a virtual mediation but the good news is that there are ways to adjust your approach to continue to connect with your participants naturally with easily implemented tips from this week's guest, Dr. Debra Dupree, The Mindset Doc! Dr. Debra is a psychologist and leading mediator and trainer who shares her insights for transitioning the emotional content of your mediations and online dispute resolution proceedings to the online platform to help you help your clients to resolve their disputes and move forward as you have always done.

Some highlights from this episode:

Find out why the pre-mediation conference(s) with the parties is more important than ever in a virtual mediation.
What is the question that most mediators miss asking?
How does the acronym BEACH help you to find out what is important to your participants?
What percentage of our communication is through our expression, intonation vs. the words we say?
What happens to emotional intensity when participants are not in the same room?
Why are the attorneys in mediation often more challenging emotionally to work with than the clients?

Dr. Debra is a veteran of hundreds of workplace and family mediations herself, both in person and online, so she is the perfect person to help us all to create that "personal touch" online - be sure to listen before your next online dispute resolution proceeding!

More information on this week's guest, Dr. Debra Dupree: Dr. D represents the best of the best as an extraordinaire Business Mediator/Trainer and phenomenal transformational Keynote Speaker and Workshop Facilitator. As the MINDSET Doc, her program, The AGILE Lawyer: Leveraging Your Mindset, decodes the formula for moving litigators into peacemakers for client preservation and how to monetize the mediation mindset to pivot successfully.

Debra has extensive training and experience in the psychology of human behavior and dispute resolution. As the Director of Training for Mediation Training Institute (MTI), she worked directly with MTI’s founder, Dr. Dan Dana, a forerunner in the field of dispute resolution, training attorneys and human resource professionals as Workplace Mediators throughout North America.

While not an attorney, she thought often about pursuing law school and even taught at law school in ADR for several years. But, ultimately decided to stick to her passion for dealing with human behavior in conflict, seeking resolution. Afterall, she was married to two attorneys and learned a lot along the way.

Needless to say, she is attracted to the legal mind, its intellect, and ability to solve legal problems...she just wants to see advancement in their ability to deal with people problems!

For more information on Dr. Debra's upcoming FREE Webinar on using ZOOM to gain, retain and sustain clients when social distancing and working virtually are the new way of doing business , visit the landing page: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=quhbr9cab&oeidk=a07eh4ghl8h151d362a

For more information on Dr. Debra's upcoming programs visit www.theagilelawyerlife.com.

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Susan also offers additional training and webinars in:

Social Media Marketing for Professionals

DIY Website Basics

Building an Online Practice

Starting Your Own Podcast

and MORE so be sure to check the site for dates and times and to REGISTER! LEARN TO MEDIATE ONLINE

Follow us on Instagram: Susan Guthrie, The Divorce & Beyond Podcast and Learn to Mediate Online!

Tuesday May 26, 2020

Preparation is Everything: How to Properly Get Clients Ready for Virtual Dispute Resolution on The Learn to Mediate Online Podcast with Susan Guthrie, Esq. #109

Tuesday May 26, 2020

They say that when you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail and in the world of virtual mediation and online dispute resolution this is especially true! In this episode, online mediation expert, Susan Guthrie, walks mediators and attorneys through the important steps that should be taken to prepare clients for a virtual mediation. The true path to a successful resolution starts long before the first mediation session actually begins and the attorney bears much of the responsibility for making sure the client is ready to go when they click the link to join the meeting. The client needs to know what practical information they need in advance, such as the programs being used and the equipment and set up that they will need to participate. Then there are all the process factors and issues of privacy and confidentiality to be communicated and understood. Finally, advocates should be aware of the potential for unconscious bias against an unprepared client.

There is a famous quote that says "give me 6 hours to cut down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe." Preparing your client for mediation is the same and much of an attorney's effort should properly be focused on the process before the mediation begins. Don't get caught with a dull axe - LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE TODAY!

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Susan also offers additional training and webinars in:

Social Media Marketing for Professionals

DIY Website Basics

Building an Online Practice

Starting Your Own Podcast

and MORE so be sure to check the site for dates and times and to REGISTER! LEARN TO MEDIATE ONLINE

Follow us on Instagram: Susan Guthrie, The Divorce & Beyond Podcast and Learn to Mediate Online!