As I look out of the window of my home office and take in the stillness of a complete lockdown that has been imposed in the wake of COVID-19, I am struck by the sense of balance that exists amidst the chaos and panic that also overwhelms me.

John and Linda and their 3 children have been sheltering in place in their 2000 square foot home for over 4 weeks. Tempers have begun to fray.

The "digitization of mediation," now on steroids with the Covid-19 pandemic, has resulted in dramatic changes and new opportunities for mediators and the mediation field.  A part of this includes coming to appreciate new meanings being given to old words.

“I have heard of your paintings too, well enough; God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.” - William Shakespeare (Hamlet Act 3, Scene 1)  

n December 2019, the Rules Board for Courts of Law of the Republic of South Africa proposed the High Court Uniform Rule 41A. The Rule was gazetted on 7 February 2020 (page 31) and comes into effect on 9 March 2020.

I am going to share a series of blog posts over the next days about how to move your group interactions online. For me, however, there is some starting context, a preamble, if you may.