What is mediation in a divorce procedure?

What does "mediation" mean in a divorce procedure?

With my divorce, we had reached a standoff and couldn’t agree to several issues… rather than have it go before a judge, we first went to mediation. A third party, in my instance a neutral attorney, sat with us and helped us to reach a middle ground on everything except one issue.. it was really helpful, because obviously, when you can compromise it is better than having someone else (like a judge) make decisions for you. The mediator couldn’t MAKE us do anything, but it was a very helpful part of the process. Sometimes having a 3rd person there helps everyone "play nice" and you can kind of understand when you are being unreasonable better than when it’s just you and the ex fighting it out… Sometimes you have the mediation with the other person present in the room, sometimes they have you in separate rooms.