ABSTRACT: One of the fundamental principles of philosophical–humanistic Mediation is each person’s responsibility for the impact of their own communication style. Communication is not purely verbal. People communicate much more non–verbally than they are aware of and this often reveals more about the person’s real self, attitudes and experiences. If indeed we express our own identity when communicating, we immediately notice when the person in front of us is not genuine and this initiates a more or less conscious process of denying trust, willingness to help, respect, authority and esteem. The effects of this are often defined as misunderstandings, arguments and conflicts. Mediation training thus becomes training of the self before being a means of resolving interpersonal conflict. This kind of training is of great value to all trainers, teachers, head teachers, staff and pupils without exception. It raises personal self–awareness through specific pathways and represents a key resource for a school to help it meet its educational goals.

KEYWORDS: listening, observation, care, responsibility, authenticity, conflict resolution.