INKOVEMA Podcast „Well through time“
#207 GddZ
The question compass for mediation.
Goals and techniques for asking questions in mediation
In conversation with Bernhard Böhm
Bernhard Böhm, Lawyer and mediator, studied law in Giessen and Leipzig, mediator and trainer for mediation since the late 1990s. Expert for mediation in organisations.
Well through time.
The podcast about mediation, conflict coaching and organisational consulting.

Contents
Summary
In this episode of the podcast „Gut durch die Zeit“, the topic of questioning techniques takes centre stage. Sascha Weigel talks to Bernhard Böhm, an experienced mediator and organisational consultant who has extensive knowledge and experience in dealing with questions in mediation and beyond. Their discussion focuses on how high-quality questions can be formulated and what role they play in mediation, conflict coaching and organisational consulting.
Bernhard explains that for him, questions are more than just a technique; they represent an attitude of curiosity and interest in people and their situations. He shares his experience gained during his master's thesis on mediation and questioning techniques and emphasises that the ability to ask effective questions often depends on one's own attitude. A key point of their discussion is that thought-provoking questions are often the most valuable. Bernhard emphasises that questions are not only used to obtain information, but also to clarify relationships and make processes transparent.
In the course of the discussion, the question compass is introduced, a tool that Bernhard has developed to capture the various objectives and formats of questions in a structured way. This compass comprises various questions that can be used in different phases of mediation and counselling. Bernhard explains the six central objectives that he has defined with the Question Compass and provides insights into how these can be used in practice to better understand and achieve the objectives of the mediated parties.
The dialogue partners also discuss the challenges and opportunities that arise from asking questions. They discuss how crucial it is to ask the right question at the right time while keeping the overall goal of the mediation in mind. Bernhard describes the importance of active listening and its influence on the quality of the questions that are ultimately asked. The connection between questioning techniques and the individual needs and perspectives of the conflict parties is at the centre of this.
The discussion concludes with a reflection on how questions can support learning and transformation within mediation.
Bernhard emphasises that in addition to clarifying the content, the development of learned patterns is also important in order to achieve long-term results. Despite all the difficulties that questions can entail, it becomes clear that they are a central element of successful mediation.