Mediators take up the profession, as they possess highly developed skills of negotiation. In emotional litigations the mediators have to understand the role of human emotions and human responses to social stimuli. In this paper, the author critically analyzes Dr. Cialdini's six principles of persuasion, which were discussed in the book, Influence: Science and Practice. The first is reciprocity, where people feel obligated to give back to others who have given to them. The second is liking, as people tend to say yes to those whom they know and like. The third is consensus, in which people decide what is appropriate for them to do in a situation by examining and following what others are doing. The fourth is authority in which the scientist envisages that people rely on those with superior knowledge or perspective for guidance on how to respond and what decision to make. The fifth is consistency, where, once we make a choice or take a stand we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave consistently with that commitment. The last and the sixth is scarcity, where, the scientist opines that opportunities appear more valuable when they are less available. Understanding the way people act towards each other, as well as learning the skills to ethically apply this scientific information, is a core competency for mediators.

Social science and neuroscience have provided a vast array of new information about how people behave in relation to each other. We now know much more about the internal processes that take place in the brain when we meet and interact on many levels. The neuroscientists have mapped the parts of the brain that process information and affect our emotions and behavior as we engage others. Understanding the way people act towards each other, as well as learning the skills to ethically apply this scientific information, is a core competency for mediators.

The best mediators know how to do it! They can tell you what they do, but few understand why it works. They have acquired skills about how to relate to people from their personal experience and rational analysis of what works and what doesn’t. Most mediators are unaware that there are a set of universal scientific principles governing their interaction with participants in a mediation that they can use to make them more effective. These principles explain why their techniques are so successful and how they can use this knowledge to become even more successful at what they do.

Applying the Social Science of Persuasion and Influence to the Art of Negotiation,information, mediators, skills, principles, scientific, competency, ethically, knowledge, learning, scientist, Understanding, critically, discussed, effective, encounter, analyzes, envisages, experience, governing, interact, interpersonal, mediation, litigations, neuroscience, opportunities, participants, acquired, perspective, persuasion