Dispute Resolution

With my mediation training and experience I’m keen to coach-mentor people experiencing difficult work situations. In the meanwhile, you might find the following tips helpful.

Preparing for meetings

  1. A meeting might be one you have asked for, or one that’s been arranged. If it’s one you’re asking for, consider whether it would work better if it were possible to have the meeting in person rather than virtually. If it’s been arranged by somebody else, ask if it is part of a formal process such as an informal or formal performance improvement plan? Who called the meeting? What is its purpose? How long is scheduled for the meeting? Are you able to invite a colleague or union rep for support? Do you need to seek legal or union advice prior to attending the meeting?
  2. Think about what you want to get out of the meeting. This will most likely be related to what you feel needs to change. If your work performance is less than it should be, why do you think this is? What could make a difference?
  3. Plan what you want to say. You might find the acronym SING helpful, it is one used by Calm Mediation: (a) Specific events that have occurred (b) the Impact of these events on you e.g. if they are causing you to worry a lot, affecting he way you do you job (c) your Needs e.g if you need to be able to stop worrying and get on with your job/ your life and your Goals e.g. specifically what sort of solution might be acceptable to you
  4. Write down the points you want to make. You may find them hard to remember under pressure
  5. Be concise, try to pick the issues that are most important to you.
  6. It’s also important to listen to other people’s point of view. Listening does not necessarily mean you agree with what the other person is saying. But is there anything you can do to support anything that they need?
  7. Think about how you could improve your working relationship. You may be able to empathise with the other person’s needs, ask questions and together develop ideas that could meet both your needs.
  8. Sometimes compromise is needed. If you’re unsure, you could suggest the idea be reviewed within a certain time frame.
  9. Read and correct any meeting minutes. Minute-taking is tricky at the best of times. It’s common for important details to be missed out, or details to be expressed out-of-context.