Questioning as a Tool: A lecture by Gerry O'Sullivan

On April 17, the famous Irish mediator Gerry O'Sullivan, author of the book “Mediator's Toolkit: Formulating and Asking Questions to Achieve Successful Results", shared her secrets of questioning at a lecture held on the ZOOM? platform.

The event was attended by Ukrainian mediators, judges and lawyers who demonstrated a high level of training and interest. The questions they asked were extremely in-depth and meaningful, which demonstrates their understanding of the importance of the topic.

Gerry O'Sullivan focused on the art of questioning, emphasizing its importance in achieving successful outcomes in any communication. She emphasized: "Questions are the key to understanding. Do you remember Detective Columbo? He asked questions gently and unobtrusively, which allowed people to open up. It's the same in any dialog: it's important to give the other person a chance to speak."

Among Jerry's tips was the recommendation to use the words “and, and” instead of “but, however,” which helps to avoid confrontation. If you feel stuck and can't think of the next question, summarize what you heard out loud. This will help you find the right direction for further discussion.

This lecture emphasized the crucial role of questions in the communication process and inspired the audience to use new approaches in their practice.

You can watch the recording of the event HERE.

The event was held with the financial support of the European Union within the framework of the Project “CONSENT: Enhancing the Role of Alternative Dispute Resolution in Ukraine with a Focus on Mediation", implemented by the Ukrainian Academy of Mediation.