THE MAGIC OF CLARITY: WHY OPEN COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY TO GOOD COLLABORATION
As a mediator, I repeatedly experience a special moment: the instant when people finally express what has been weighing on them for a long time. Suddenly it's there in the room – clear, nameable, tangible. And often enough, a palpable sense of relief follows on both sides. What was previously diffuse and burdensome becomes something workable through being spoken aloud.
The Courage for Clarity
In my work as a mediator, I frequently encounter people stuck in conflicts. Often, the problem is not so much the conflict itself, but rather the way – or more precisely, the way not – it's being discussed. Hints instead of clear words. Assumptions instead of questions. Silence instead of dialogue.
Time and again, I experience this: As soon as things are openly addressed, a special kind of magic emerges. The magic of clarity. Suddenly everyone involved knows what it's really about. The fog of misunderstandings, interpretations, and unspoken accusations lifts. And where there was only tension before, space emerges for genuine understanding.
It takes courage to be clear. Courage to express what is uncomfortable. Courage to show one's own vulnerability. Courage to admit that you perceived something differently than the other person. Yet this courage is precisely the first step toward a solution.
My Role: Impartial Mediator of Perspectives
As a mediator, I see myself as a bridge-builder between different worlds. My task is not to judge who is right. My task is to ensure that all perspectives are heard and understood.
Impartiality – that's more than neutrality. I'm not uninvolved or indifferent. On the contrary: I'm equally attuned to all parties. I keep the space open for all viewpoints, all feelings, all needs. I'm an advocate for each individual perspective while simultaneously committed to no one except the process itself.
This stance allows me to move between worlds. I can inquire without accusing. I can challenge without hurting. I can summarize without oversimplifying. And above all: I can translate – between people who speak the same language yet don't understand each other.
In mediation, I often become aware of how differently people can experience the same event. What was trivial for one person was a profound experience for another. What one understood as care, the other perceived as patronizing. My role is to let these different realities stand side by side – not as contradictions, but as different, equally valid truths.
Only when all participants feel they have truly been understood does space open up for shared solutions.
Communication: The Key to Good Collaboration
Good collaboration doesn't happen by chance. It emerges through good communication. This sounds banal, but it isn't. Because good communication doesn't simply mean talking a lot.
Good communication means:
- Listening, not just waiting for your turn to respond
- Asking questions instead of interpreting
- Clearly articulating your own needs instead of expecting others to guess them
- Addressing conflicts before they escalate
- Seeing differences as enrichment, not as threats
In the mediations I facilitate, I repeatedly witness how transformative genuine communication can be. When people learn to truly listen – not to contradict, but to understand – the atmosphere in the room changes. Hardened positions soften. Enemy images lose their edge. And suddenly it becomes visible that on both sides sit people with legitimate concerns.
In the academic context where I work, this becomes particularly evident. Scientific collaboration thrives on different perspectives, on critical discourse, on productive friction. But when these differences cannot be communicated, when substantive disagreement becomes personal hurt, then not only does collaboration suffer – science itself suffers.
The Moment When Something Shifts
There's a moment in many mediations that I wait for each time. The moment when I sense: Now something is shifting. Sometimes it's eye contact between people who haven't been able to look at each other for a long time. Sometimes it's a hesitant "I understand now why that was so important to you." Sometimes it's just a deep exhale.
These moments don't arise through me. They arise through the people themselves – through their courage to face the conflict, through their willingness to also hear the other side, through their openness to new perspectives.
But they also arise through the structure I create as a mediator. A protected space where open speaking is permitted. A process that gives everyone room. An attitude that demonstrates: There is space here for all truths.
Clarity as a Gift
What remains after a successful mediation? Not always harmony. Not always complete agreement. But: clarity.
Clarity about where you stand. Clarity about what the other person needs. Clarity about how you want to interact with each other – even when you don't agree.
This clarity is a gift. It enables people to become capable of action again. It enables teams to work together productively again. It enables organizations to break out of destructive patterns.
And it emerges precisely when we have the courage to openly address things. When we're willing to truly listen. When we accept that there can be more than one perspective on the same situation.
A Plea for More Clarity
Therefore, I want to encourage you: Express what moves you. Ask questions instead of assuming. Seek support when you can't make progress alone.
Conflicts are part of life – in both private and professional contexts. They're not inherently bad. Often they're even productive because they show that different needs and perspectives are meeting. The only question is: How do we deal with them?
As a mediator, I can't make conflicts disappear. But I can create a space where people learn to deal with conflicts constructively. Where the magic of clarity can work. Where communication becomes the key to good collaboration.
And that's perhaps the most beautiful thing about my work: witnessing how people find their way back to each other. Not because the conflict has disappeared, but because they've learned to talk about it.
Are you stuck in a conflict and seeking support? As a certified mediator, I'm happy to accompany you on the path to greater clarity and better collaboration – in the academic context and beyond.