TOOL T-32 | Process Guide | Module 9: Mediation & Third-Party Intervention

Caucus Planning Guide

WHEN TO USE In preparation for or during a mediation process, when separate private sessions with individual parties are needed.

How to Use It

1. Decide when caucuses are needed: when a party cannot express interests in joint session, when emotional dynamics prevent progress, or when an option needs private exploration.

2. Plan the caucus agenda: opening (confidentiality and purpose), interests exploration, reality testing, option preparation.

3. Confirm confidentiality with the party at the start: what they say in this session will not be shared without their permission.

4. Take notes during the caucus, but do not share notes across parties.

5. After the caucus, assess: what new information or options emerged? How should this inform the next joint session?

6. Plan the re-entry to joint session: how will the insights be incorporated without breaching confidentiality?

Purpose

To support the design of private mediation sessions (caucuses) between the mediator and individual parties, to clarify interests, address emotional barriers, explore options, and prepare for joint sessions. Caucuses are among the most powerful tools in the mediator's toolkit.

Field Rationale

In multi-party project-community conflicts, parties often cannot express their true interests in the presence of others, because of political dynamics, fear, or the performance expected of them by their constituencies. Caucuses create the private space where honest conversation is possible.