Circular Questions, Trust and Understanding in Mediations

This research addresses the question whether a relation-enhancing communication technique - circular questioning - influences the establishment of mutual understanding and interpersonal trust in mediation settings. A circular question obliges the addressee to take the perspective of the other disputant in the conflict. This question was studied in an experimental setting in which disputants had to solve a conflict by the help of a professional mediator, who either used circular questions or open (i.e., linear) questions. It was expected that mediations in which circular questions were used led to a higher level of mutual understanding and interpersonal trust between disputants and, ultimately, to a better outcome. The first results of the study show, however, that the questioning style of the mediator did not influence disputants' perceived mutual understanding, nor the interpersonal trust they experienced afterwards. The satisfaction with the outcome increased with a higher level of mutual understanding and interpersonal trust in their counterpart. We discuss the effects of the questioning style of the mediator and conclude with reflections on reasons why these effects did not lead to differences in mutual understanding and trust between the disputants.