The Mediator's Toolkit: Formulating and Asking Questions for Successful Outcomes

The acclaimed guide to formulating and asking penetrating, paradigm-shifting mediation questions to successfully resolve conflict, now completely revised and updated.

Knowing how to formulate and ask incisive questions is essential for effective mediation and conflict resolution. The Mediator's Toolkit, Second Edition, is the proven, practical guide to formulating and posing powerful questions that get to the core of an issue, challenge entrenched thinking, and shift perspectives.

This fully revised edition delivers advanced techniques while leveraging the latest neuroscientific research and psychological concepts to help mediation practitioners and participants gain increased insight.

Readers will benefit from a comprehensive analysis of the newly updated "S Questions Model," a process-driven conceptual framework which takes a deep dive into the four key dimensions of building impactful and robust mediation questions: subject matter, structure, seeking information and shifting-thinking. The resulting toolkit includes:

• The scientific theories and concepts underpinning each aspect of the model
• Safe and productive approaches for effectively managing blame, addressing toxic language, navigating highly charged emotions, encouraging effective listening, getting to underlying interests, and creating empowerment
• Detailed background, use cases, examples, hazard warnings and key learnings for numerous categories of neutral, exploratory questions including those based on neurolinguistic programming, cognitive elements, journeys of inference, distinction and difference and many more.

This indispensable reference will radically sharpen, focus, and improve the dispute-resolution strategies and communication skills of qualified mediators and facilitators, students, lecturers, trainers, and anyone using questions to challenge assumptions, foster connectedness, and effect change in any context.

Gerry O’Sullivan is a mediator, trainer and facilitator with over 35 years’ experience in conflict resolution. She led Mediators’ Institute of Ireland accredited programs for many years, and holds a Diploma in Adult and Continuing Education. Gerry conducts international online training based on her book The Mediator’s Toolkit, and lives in Ireland.