Effective conflict resolution

Mediation is a flexible, confidential process for helping people discuss the issues that have arisen between them and try to find solutions for moving forward.  A key component of this is often that they improve their working relationships.

We assist the people involved to hear each other and be heard.  Together, they identify and explore the issues between them, generate and evaluate options for the resolution of these issues, and reach agreement if possible.

We are Nationally Accredited Mediators, and are on the LEADR - Association of Dispute Revolvers panel of mediators.  In addition, Fiona is on the CTTT's Strata Mediation Panel and Health Care Complaints Commission Panel.

When:

• there are participants with different needs and concerns
• the issues are complex
• the problem seems intractable
• relationships are strained.

Our areas of practice:

• Mediating and facilitating community, commercial, workplace and family disputes
• Large-scale public issues and disputes.

Our particular interests include:

• Complex, multi-party issues
• Assisting work colleagues and family members to create more productive and harmonious relationships
• Engaging communities in conversations that lead to sustainable outcomes, particularly in inter-cultural and environmental disputes

Complex, multi-party issues

Complex multi-party issues require processes for identifying and managing issues, stakeholders and decision makers. It involves collecting and collating large amounts of data, clustering information in digestible ways, while working within time and budgetary constraints.

We facilitate large-scale consultations. (In one assignment we collected 2800 separate comments, distilled into 36 issue clusters, giving rise to 26 separate recommendations, all of which were accepted by a decision-making body of over 300 people).

Conflict coaching

Conflict coaching is an informal, confidential, one-to-one process for helping people develop perspectives, skills and strategies to help them manage their situation better.

We use conflict coaching to help people:

• reduce and remove obstacles and hindrances
• prepare for a difficult conversation or mediation
• try to resolve their particular issue or dispute
• improve how they avoid and deal with conflicts.

We support the person to make his or her own decisions. Over an agreed number of sessions, we help the person:

• clarify his/her goals in the situation
• mobilise his/her skills and insights
• stretch his/her thinking about the problem
• strengthen his/her skills for finding good outcomes
• restore his/her self-confidence and self-esteem
• overcome the barriers to progress.