This contribution is based on two decades of experience of delivering conflict resolution in community settings. Re-engaging the public draws in new forms of expertise to decision making, but also opens up a complex arena for conflicts of interest and disagreements. One of the key challenges is how to negotiate differences of opinion that arise. Mediation is offered as one practical approach to resolving conflicts in ways that respect the participants, and attempts to generate positive outcomes for all parties. Drawing on some illustrative examples, it suggests core principles for conducting constructive dialogue. The lessons from these specific cases and broader principles are applicable across a range of policy settings.

Maura Rose offers a grounded account of what might at first sight appear to be micro-processes of human negotiation. She sets out the seven principles of mediation and demonstrates how these abstract principles might be translated into practice. This contribution starts to flesh out what an alternative approach to dialogue on complex issues could look like. It is one way to understand what might happen within boundary spaces. As with any tool, if used incorrectly then the outcomes are not what are hoped for, reinforcing the idea that facilitation is itself a skilled task. Conventional approaches can suppress or manage conflict, and principles drawn from mediation show how to handle conflicts of interest openly. The contributor also reflects on criticisms of alternative approaches to dialogue that it is an idealistic and marginal activity. She gives us powerful messages about the challenges of people holding themselves open to constructive problem solving, when the legacy of past grievances has a strong hold on emotions.