[MUSIC] Hello. My name is Aurelien Colson. I am a professor of Political Science at ESSEC Business School where I'm the director of the Research Center on Negotiation and Conflict Management, IRENE. Welcome on board this third MOOC dedicated to Mediation and Conflict resolution. This MOOC belongs to the specialization, negotiation, in which you are encouraged to enroll if you want to develop your negotiation skills. In this specialization, our first MOOC focused on negotiation fundamentals. The second MOOC explored cross-cultural and international negotiation. And this third MOOC will introduce mediation as a conflict resolution process. Conflict is pervasive, within a team, or between teams, within an organization, or between organizations, even within the nation or between countries. Conflict is not necessary negative, it is the symptom of a problem that has not been taken care of. Or, of a routine which is no longer relevant. However, if not properly handled, most conflicts rapidly create negative consequences. Relationships break down, partnerships collapse. Time, resources, money are wasted. People are hurt, even physically hurt. And worse still, when it comes to armed conflicts, human beings dying. It is therefore of the highest importance that conflicts are prevented, managed, and solved. That is the purpose of mediation. A third party will help others settle a dispute, which they can no longer handle on their own. This MOOC will share with you as not just possible about mediation. What works, what doesn't work so well and why. And this will be based on the joint knowledge of practitioners and researchers. This MOOC is structured in four modules. Module 1 will provide you with Mediation Essentials. What is mediation? Where does this process apply? What are the rules of the mediator? What are the advantages of mediation? It will also present the mediation cycle, six steps to organize any mediation process. Module two, we'll analyze mediation in practice. And we'll provide you with tools. How to get ready for a mediation, either as the mediator or as the parties. What are the resources of the mediator? Should you run, as a mediator, joint or separate meetings with the parties? What are the typical traps to be avoided? Module 3 will explore mediation at the workplace, in companies in organizations. What are the different types of conflict? What is the value of a dispute-resolution system within an organization? Difficult cases of individual and collective conflicts will be discussed. Module 4 will turn to the importance of mediation in armed conflicts, civil wars or interstate conflicts. Case studies will be analyzed, for instance, in the Middle East. This whole MOOC builds on the conflict management experience accumulated over the past 20 years here at IRENE. And I would like to thank my colleagues who contributed to this MOOC, especially Alan Jenkins, professor of management at ESSEC Business School and an expert of conflict management at the workplace. And Professor Joseph Mylah who has been involved in countless mediations and dialogue processes on the international stage. And together, we do hope that this MOOC will help you wherever you are on this planet, help others solve the conflict.