I feel that the facilitator vs. mediator role can be particularly challenging. In short, mediation between group members can create negative personal feelings toward a group member or the facilitator, or a notion that the facilitator has “taken a side” against someone. These feelings and edo-driven perspectives are sure, if indeed they are engendered and they are allowed to persist, to slow down the process and make reaching group goals more difficult. While people are often petty and unpredictable, I think these negative outcomes can be mitigated by clear, open, communication, a commitment to a neutral stance, and above all avoiding the “uncharted territory” of conflicts that are beyond the facilitator’s expertise in nature or scope. It is crucial to understand one’s own qualifications and the nature of ensuing conflicts in the mediator role.
