at the mediator must separate the interpersonal issues between the participants from the substantive issues that are the subject of the mediation (CRC, 1998, p. 1). Though the language is different, the mediator at this stage is operating as Folberg & Taylor's would; she is reading the participants' personalities, including their communication styles and emotional states, to learn how to enable the participants to communicate effectively (1998, p. 1).
Notably, it is at this first stage in both models that cross-cultural understanding becomes most important. Communication styles, behaviors and
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