From Conflict to Clarity:
Our Facilitation Approach — Constructive Conversations, Not Confrontations.
After years of working with organisations to resolve workplace issues, our preferred approach is to use Facilitated Discussions rather than formal mediation.
This method places greater focus on the participants, encourages more open dialogue, and consistently delivers positive outcomes in a way that feels less rigid and more constructive for everyone involved.
A facilitated discussion is an informal, collaborative process designed to help employees talk openly, clarify concerns, and agree on practical ways to move forward. It is less formal than mediation, making it more comfortable and less intimidating for those involved.
Key Features Include:
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Lower intensity a supportive conversation rather than a formal process.
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Solution-focused emphasis on how people will work together in the future, not just past behaviour.
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Relationship-focused helps maintain trust and respectful working relationships.
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Efficient quicker to arrange and generally more cost-effective than mediation.
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Empowering employees take ownership of the outcomes, with light-touch guidance. Any agreement between the parties is confirmed in writing (where appropriate) so everyone is accountable for actionables or agreed outcomes.
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Best for early intervention works well when issues are beginning to surface, before they esca- late into formal disputes. However, it is also possible to drive positive outcomes with parties involved in longer term disputes as well.
For more serious or entrenched conflicts, a formal mediation process may still be appropriate. However, in many cases a facilitated discussion provides the clarity and resolution needed to move forward without the need for a formal process.
Process Overview
A facilitated discussion is a structured but informal process designed to help employees
address concerns, rebuild communication, and agree on practical ways to move forward.
Step 1: Referral / Request
- The organisation (or an individual manager) identifies a workplace issue where relationships or communication have broken down.
- EWS is engaged to provide a facilitator.
Step 2: Pre-Discussion Preparation
- The facilitator meets (separately) with each participant to explain the process, answer questions, and confirm willingness to participate.
- Each person has the opportunity to outline their concerns, their perspective, and the outcomes they would like to see.
- The facilitator clarifies ground rules (respectful communication, confidentiality, focus on solutions).
Step 3: Facilitated discussion, guided conversation and identifying solutions
- The facilitator brings participants together in a private setting.
- The purpose of the discussion is restated: to improve understand- ing, reset the working relationship, and agree on practical next steps.
- Ground rules are confirmed so everyone feels safe to contribute.
- Each participant has uninterrupted time to share their perspective.
- The facilitator manages the flow, ensures respectful dialogue, and reframes issues in neutral language.
- The focus shifts from past grievances to shared goals and practical solutions.
- Through guided conversation, participants work together to identify actions, behaviours, or agreements that will help them move forward.
- The facilitator supports but does not impose solutions as it is crucial that ownership remains with the participants.
Step 4: Agreement & Documentation
- Key points of agreement are summarised and, where appropriate, documented in writing.
- Agreements are practical, clear, and future-focused (e.g. communi- cation protocols, meeting check-ins, role clarity).
Step 5: Follow-Up
- The facilitator may recommend a follow-up check-in after an agreed period (e.g. 4–6 weeks) to review progress.
- Responsibility for maintaining the agreement sits with the partici- pants and their manager, with further support available if needed.
Book a Facilitated Discussion
Facilitated Discussions are billed at an hourly rate of $340 (including GST).
If you are unsure whether this is the right approach, we are happy to discuss your situation and help you decide the best next step.