This document discusses the use of metaphors in mediation. It defines metaphors and provides examples. Metaphors can be used to convey experiences vividly, illustrate concepts succinctly, and express emotions indirectly. The document also discusses how metaphors reflect personal experiences and can open new perspectives. It provides an example of divorcing parents being metaphorically described as airplane co-pilots to emphasize their role in caring for their children. Finally, it outlines four specific uses of metaphors in mediation and techniques for mediators to work with parties' metaphors.

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Working with
Metaphors
in Mediation
{
Experiences & Opportunities
Julia Morelli and John Settle
October 10, 2014 – Association for Conflict Resolution
It isn’t easy being green

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Metaphor Defined:
“A figure of speech in which a term
or phrase is applied to something to
which it is not literally applicable in
order to suggest a resemblance . . . .”
Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of
the English Language
The Metaphor Clinic:

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Metaphor Examples:
Success has many parents –
failure is an orphan
All the world’s a stage
The war on poverty
Stuck between a rock and a
hard place
I don’t have a dog in that fight
Related Terms:
Implied metaphor: “My boss barked an
order”
Simile: “Brave as a lion”
Analogy: “The heart is a kind of pump”
Hyperbole: “He reeked of treachery!”
Euphemism: “The recent unpleasantness”

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Why Explore Metaphors in
Mediation?
 Metaphors reflect personalized
experience – thus it is useful to
work within that experience.
 They can open up new ways to
look at, or address, an issue using
different language.
Use Metaphors (& kin) to:
Convey a thought or experience
more vividly
Illustrate, explain, emphasize and
enhance meaning – often succinctly or
humorously
Display emotions and nuances that
words, however accurate, may not
convey as richly

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Use Metaphors (& kin) to:
Indirectly express what cannot be
articulated directly – “reality is a cliché
from which we escape by metaphor”
(Wallace Stevens)
Create emotional distance, and engage
difficult topics safely and more easily ‐‐
using less or safer confrontation!
Poetical Metaphor:
Prose:
“There’s something you are not saying.”
Poetry:
“We dance around in a ring and
suppose, but the Secret sits in the middle
and knows.” ‐‐ Robert Frost

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Use of Metaphor in a Story:
Divorcing parents of small children
were asked to view themselves for a
moment as co‐pilots of a jet plane high
in the sky ‐‐ and the only passengers in
the cabin behind them are their
children.
DISCUSSION:
What metaphors have you used or
heard in mediation?
In what context were they used?

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Four Specific Uses of
Metaphors in Mediation:
 To help mediators describe their role and
the parties’ roles
 To recognize, explore, and clarify implied
meaning
 To help mediators reframe parties’
statements and facilitate engagement
 To enable mediators to work within the
parties’ own frameworks
Why does Context Matter?
Metaphors are culturally based
 Individual interpretations
Venue constraints
Situations and circumstances vary
 Comfort level
 Appropriateness

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Techniques ‐ Working with Metaphors:
Recognition ‐ What can you do to help parties
become aware of their metaphors?
Meaning ‐ What can you ask to explore the
parties’ spoken or unspoken metaphors?
Understanding ‐ What are questions you can use
to “unpack” a party’s metaphor?
Transition – What might you ask to promote
a change or shift in thinking?
Reality – How can you “ground” the transition
in reality?
Thank you!
John Settle:
NSettle@comcast.net
Julia Morelli:
JuliaMorelli@comcast.net