Feedback from Mediation

"The situations that I have seen Gerry mediate have been complex and difficult. I have seen her respond in each situation with the same calmness and confidence that she brings to all of her work. I consider her to be very highly skilled and I believe that her long experience and practice as a facilitator enhances the capacity that she brings to mediation – particularly her sharp and receptive listening skills, her incisiveness questioning style and her capacity to mine the deeper dynamics operating in conflict situations.

The key skills that I observed Gerry display in the mediation situation that I believe made a significant difference to the outcome are the following:

• Ability to elicit clear briefings in advance of mediation sessions and to prepare accordingly.
• Ability to establish rapport and trust with parties at a very early stage
• Ability to very clearly set the scene for the mediation and to ensure that all parties are clear on the parameters of the process – Gerry talks in down to earth clear language that contributes toward creating a safe space for the parties involved.
• Ability to listen intently and to convey to parties that they have been heard - through fine tuned feedback
• Ability to keep parties on focus and to intervene in a firm but respectful way when people tend to digress from the issues at hand
• Ability to pose incisive questions that move to the heart of the issues involved
• Ability to change tack if the particular line of questioning is not yielding fruitful information
• Ability to stand own ground and to hold the mediator position – I have seen Gerry do this very effectively in situations where one of the parties sought to undermine her and the process.
• Ability to see through and resist attempts to manipulate the mediation process
• Ability to keep the process to agreed time schedules and to ensure that adequate time is given at the end of the session to closure of the process for both parties

I consider Gerry O Sullivan to be one of the most highly skilled consultants working in the organizational development field in Ireland. Her overall approach is characterized by clarity, focus, incisive intelligence, efficient use of time, and warmth and respect towards the parties that she engages with. She has a remarkable capacity to clarify and hold boundaries and to ensure that all parties involved in dispute resolution respect the agreed boundaries within which the mediation process proceeds. She is a very clear communicator, as well as being organized, reliable and thoroughly professional in her approach. I believe that parties engaged in dispute will find themselves in a very experienced, safe, firm, intelligent and competent pair of hands if they contract Gerry O Sullivan to work with them towards resolution."
    Julie Murphy, Community Health Worker Health Service Executive - South

Further feedback from clients who have specifically contracted Gerry O'Sullivan to undertake mediation work is available by request. This is due to the sensitivity of the cases and to the level of confidentiality required.