C2 Mediation Project: Turn a Contentious Spanish Discussion into a Clear Shared Record
C2 Mediation Project: Turn a Contentious Spanish Discussion into a Clear Shared Record
This project asks you to transform a contentious Spanish discussion into a shared record that all participants could recognize as a fair representation. You will separate facts, positions, agreements, actions, and open issues. An unresolved objection must remain visible instead of being edited away for the sake of a clean conclusion.
Discussion excerpt
Person A: El lanzamiento del día 15 sigue siendo viable. — The launch on the 15th remains viable.
Person B: No estoy de acuerdo. Seguridad todavía no ha cerrado la revisión. — I disagree. Security has not yet closed the review.
Person C: Técnicamente podemos llegar al 15 si el informe se cierra antes del día 10. — Technically we can make the 15th if the report is closed before the 10th.
Person D: Mi objeción no es solo técnica. No quiero que comuniquemos una fecha al cliente antes de tener confirmación formal. — My objection is not only technical. I do not want us to communicate a date to the client before we have formal confirmation.
Step 1: separate facts from positions
Fact:
La revisión de seguridad sigue abierta. — The security review remains open.
Conditional technical assessment:
El día 15 sigue siendo técnicamente posible si el informe se cierra antes del día 10. — The 15th remains technically possible if the report is closed before the 10th.
Policy position:
No debe comunicarse una fecha definitiva al cliente antes de la confirmación formal. — A definitive date should not be communicated to the client before formal confirmation.
Do not convert a position into a fact
Do not record:
El lanzamiento será el día 15. — The launch will be on the 15th.
The discussion supports only conditional viability, not a final commitment.
Step 2: record agreement
Suppose all participants agree:
Todos coinciden en que la revisión de seguridad debe cerrarse antes de confirmar una fecha definitiva. — Everyone agrees that the security review must be closed before confirming a definitive date.
This belongs under agreement, not under one person's position.
Step 3: record action
Agreed action:
Seguridad enviará un estado actualizado el día 9 a las 16:00. — Security will send an updated status on the 9th at 16:00.
Responsible party and timing are explicit.
Step 4: preserve the open issue
Open issue:
Sigue sin resolverse si puede comunicarse al cliente el día 15 como fecha objetivo antes del cierre formal de la revisión. — It remains unresolved whether the 15th can be communicated to the client as a target date before formal closure of the review.
This objection has not disappeared merely because an action was assigned.
Step 5: verify attribution
Draft record:
Person D considera irresponsable comunicar cualquier fecha. — Person D considers communicating any date irresponsible.
If Person D never used irresponsable or rejected every possible date, this wording overstates the position.
Better:
Person D se opone a comunicar una fecha definitiva antes de recibir confirmación formal. — Person D opposes communicating a definitive date before receiving formal confirmation.
Step 6: record interpretations carefully
Suppose Person A says:
Yo entendí que “fecha objetivo” no equivale a compromiso. — I understood that “target date” does not equal commitment.
Record as interpretation:
Person A interpreta “fecha objetivo” como una indicación provisional y no como un compromiso definitivo. — Person A interprets “target date” as a provisional indication and not as a definitive commitment.
Do not present that interpretation as mutually accepted unless others confirm it.
Shared record model
Hechos: la revisión de seguridad sigue abierta. El día 15 es técnicamente posible si el informe se cierra antes del día 10. Acuerdos: no se confirmará una fecha definitiva antes del cierre de seguridad. Acciones: Seguridad enviará un estado actualizado el día 9 a las 16:00. Punto abierto: sigue sin acuerdo si el día 15 puede comunicarse antes como fecha objetivo provisional. — Facts: the security review remains open. The 15th is technically possible if the report is closed before the 10th. Agreements: no definitive date will be confirmed before security closes. Actions: Security will send an updated status on the 9th at 16:00. Open issue: there is still no agreement on whether the 15th can be communicated beforehand as a provisional target date.
Verification round
Ask each participant:
¿Reconoces tu posición en este registro? — Do you recognize your position in this record?
¿Hay algún punto atribuido a ti que no hayas aceptado? — Is there any point attributed to you that you did not accept?
¿Qué cuestión sigue abierta desde tu perspectiva? — What issue remains open from your perspective?
Project quality criteria
- Facts are separated from interpretations.
- Each position is attributed accurately.
- Mutual agreements are clearly marked.
- Actions include responsible party and timing.
- Unresolved objections remain visible.
- No agreement is invented through vague wording.
- Participants can recognize their own position in the final record.
From Mediation to Style Analysis
You can now create a shared record that is useful precisely because it does not hide the remaining dispute. The next lesson teaches Analyzing a Spanish Writer's Style Through Syntax, Lexis, and Perspective.