Success stories, recommendations and endorsements

"The mediation training that was delivered by TCM was enjoyed by all delegates on the course, we all felt that we had learnt a new skill that we could not only use to benefit the organisation but one that we could take away into our personal and professional lives. The trainer Bola was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Would strongly recommend this course."

“Royal Mail introduced mediation as part of the Agenda for Growth Agreement (our Industrial Relations Strategy) in partnership with the CWU, the Royal Mail Union. We use mediation to resolve cases of bullying and harassment and industrial relations disputes. TCM have been a critical partner in the development of mediation within Royal Mail and they have been a pleasure to work with at every stage - from the design to the roll out of mediation across the entire company. Mediation has been incredibly effective. In the first two years of using mediation, we had undertaken 329 mediations of which 118 were industrial relations cases and 211 were in bullying and harassment cases. 88% of all cases were resolved through mediation. The cost savings to Royal Mail are measured in terms of tens of millions of pounds. That does not include the less visible benefits of a more collaborative and adult relationship in the workplace and between Royal Mail and its unions partners.”

“A one-day mediation, which hopefully results in a positive outcome, is a lot less time consuming than having to undertake a grievance investigation and everything that goes with it.”

“After looking at several companies I attended one of TCM’s taster sessions. Following that I booked to attend the full course. The service overall was outstanding, and the professionalism of the trainers was outstanding. I still use the supporting material today as a guide. Since I became trained my Trust has now invested in three further Workplace Mediators and we have just completed an 18-month report on the cases we have had referred. We also meet monthly for a debriefing session to discuss cases. We are in the process of reviewing our Grievance Policy and Mediation is already listed as an early intervention before moving to a full-blown investigation. To be completely honest I have always found my interactions with TCM very positive. I feel that I can approach the team at any time for advice and linking into the Webinars is always a good reminder of why we take the steps to resolve issues at the lowest possible level.”

“TCM has been used several times by DWP over the years, we’ve received very positive feedback from our mediators from every course that’s been run. We have a great relationship, TCM has fantastic offers/networking events and I hope we will continue to see more of this. The training that TCM delivered was extremely effective and engaging. Even those trained by TCM from other government departments have had nothing but good things to say. TCM benefited us by giving us the ability for our organisation to offer an outstanding mediation service which is continuing to grow. If was up to me we’d choose TCM every time, but I understand we have internal processes to follow. I look forward to us working together in future, hopefully not just the training of new mediators, but other events too.”

“We have recently engaged David and his team to train our ER team in workplace mediation. The training delivered was first class – engaging, thought provoking and highly professional. David’s collaborative, future focused and solution focused approach to conflict resolution really resonated with me and my team and aligns neatly with our brand values and people strategy. We are in the process of embedding the new conflict resolution approach in our organisation and look forward to this delivering positive outcomes and to working further with David and his team as we continue our exciting journey to identify better ways to manage conflict.”

“The TCM Group are a great organisation with great people who are passionate about mediation and resolution. We have worked with TCM for over 5 years to deliver a wide range of mediation and conflict management courses and services for the local authorities that we support. We have recommended TCM's mediation, training and consultancy services to many others and they have always been as impressed as we are.”

“We have been working with TCM for just over a year, in order to set up an In-house Mediation Service. I have found them, as a company, to be knowledgeable & helpful and always feel the focus is on achieving business outcomes, rather than the training event itself. TCM trainers have a passion for resolving conflict & their enthusiasm both engages, inspires and energises others.”

"It's very rare to come across someone who is quite so passionate about their area of expertise. David (and the whole TCM team) have been extremely professional, knowledgeable, supportive and not to mention a little patient as we work to implement our mediation scheme in TSB. But that's not the half of it. What is really striking is David's absolute belief and commitment that there is a better, more human, way of resolving conflict that benefits everyone from the impacted people to the wider business - it's completely inspiring and wherever I go in my career from this point, the resolution of conflict is something I will focus on in a way that I never would have in the past. It's been a pleasure to work with David and the TCM team and I hope that opportunity will crop up again in the future. His book is an excellent read as well."

“Couldn’t fault the service provided by David and the team in helping us set up an internal resolution procedure and mediation team. We had fantastic feedback from all our colleagues who attended training with them.”

“I would whole heartedly recommend The TCM Group to anyone looking to implement mediation/resolution into their workplace. They are extremely professional, incredibly knowledgeable and very welcoming and relaxed in their approach.”

"We are pleased that we have jointly appointed external mediators to help us deliver our policy to resolve issues and establish fairness in the workplace, which we are all committed to. It is no surprise that in a business which employs so many people, there will be disagreements from time to time. External mediators can play a vital role in resolving these disagreements quickly and professionally. This will help us to encourage a culture of mutual trust."

"It sticks in my mind because the colleague came out smiling. They told me ‘I’m so happy to have finally had a chance to talk. I’ve been waiting for so long to be heard.’ It made all the work seem worth it. This whole process has reminded our team members to put the human side back into their relationships. We should always be putting our employees first, they are what makes our business."

Over the past two years, mediation has made a significant contribution to our business. By working with TCM to train a team of internal mediators, we have already cut the cost of conflict by many hundreds of thousands of pounds.

“We’ve just completed the initial training for the mediation accreditation which everyone thoroughly enjoyed and we are now progressing the written element of the assessment.  The trainers were fantastic and I couldn’t recommend the course to anyone enough."

"By attending TCM's Practical Mediation Skills course, I now feel confident to introduce mediation in the workplace in order to support colleagues and avoid progressing down a grievance path."

"The trainer was extremely knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this course to managers who haven't been involved in mediation before as this is a great way to manage early-stage conflict in the workplace."

"The skills taught will be very useful in our workplace and it will be necessary in helping the department move into the direction they want to go in. The most useful elements of the course were the breakout rooms and hearing the different perspectives and experiences of others."

“Thoralf is calm and paced. He really listens, gives constructive feedback, suggestions, ideas, and best practices for situations. He gives you the time to feel comfortable during role play and provides encouraging and honest feedback.”

“The techniques in this course can be applied both in your business life and personal life. The trainer was extremely knowledgeable and adapted the course content to meet the needs of the delegates.”

“I have had the best experience with TCM, and I will be recommending TCM to colleagues interested in mediation.”

“I could not be happier with the quality and excellence of the TCM material, the trainer Terry, and the comradery I felt with the other delegates. This has been a wonderful, challenging and rewarding experience.”

“Thank you for an insightful course. The course provided me with useful skills I can apply in the workplace and was professional from start to finish.”

“I highly recommend the National Certificate in Workplace Mediation course. It was delivered to such a high standard and has given me the confidence to put my learning into practice back in the workplace!”

"The whole experience working with TCM has been great. Chloe was supporting us from start to finish, she went above and beyond to help us book the right solution. We chose to go with the Quality Conversations training as we wanted to equip our first-time managers with a toolkit to handle common challenges like giving feedback, leading tricky conversations and managing conflict. Our trainer, Aideen, was a fabulous facilitator and she shared useful strategies with everyone. She made the training into an interactive conversation with everyone feeling involved and included."

“The HR as Coach & Mediator course was informative, relevant, up-to-date and engaging. In a world of online learning, they managed to ensure we had the right balance of screen time, engaging conversations and content.”

A well structured and informative course with warm and approachable trainers and an array of materials to support learning. It really helps to build your confidence.”

"This is a tough and intensive course, but thoroughly rewarding. It introduced good, solid frameworks and formats to adopt when conducting mediation at work. Terry was a very skilled and informative trainer, and the other TCM facilitators who joined him were very supportive and gave some great ideas and feedback which helped my understanding and confidence grow."

"The TCM Model for effectively and efficiently managing workplace conflict can apply to almost any conflict or dispute. We know that feelings, needs, voice and choice underlie virtually every conflict or dispute. The TCM Model focuses on these and other elements. Applying this well thought out approach enlightens and empowers participants as they navigate their way forward while learning to avoid the inflaming effects of blame and shame."

"This course was informative and challenging at the same time, delivered by an engaging and very knowledgeable trainer. Thoroughly enjoyed each day!"

"Excellent course with some great skills and tools to perform in my HR role day to day and manage effective mediation. Thank you to the trainer for a really positive learning experience and supplying me with a great kit bag!"

"This is a well taught skill which has great applicability in the real world - I highly recommend it."

"Thank you so much - I'm finishing this course feeling so much more confident about my skills and effectiveness in finding a constructive path to resolution."

"A really good four days, thank you. The trainers were really knowledgeable and well prepared. I feel prepared to move forward and start mediating as I now feel I have the skills to mediate effectively."

"The training was really inciteful. The knowledge of the trainer was so beneficial and really helped put people at ease for some of the concepts and approaches to what can be a challenging and difficult process."

"TCM provide excellent, in-depth and practical mediation training. Highly recommend."

"An educational course delivered in an entertaining and engaging manner, would thoroughly recommend if you are considering mediation training."

"TCM trainers provided an excellent course delivery, which was very intense and challenging, however their skill and facilitation put the participants at ease and encouraged where necessary. They always highlighted that this is a learning process and we are all here to learn from each other to become good mediators."

"TCM were great from start to finish and the knowledge of the trainer/s is next to none. If you want to have a sound understanding of mediation in a short period of time then TCM will meet your expectations!"

"It was an excellent course and it went beyond my expectations. I feel privileged to have had the chance to be trained by such experienced and inspiring trainers."

"Thoroughly enjoyed this two day course. It struck the right balance between trainer-led course content and peer-to-peer discussion. Lots to take away - useful frameworks and toolkits which will help develop my skillsets."

“I just wanted to thank you for delivering a superb course, I can honestly say the content and instruction has been exceptional. I have learnt an incredible amount this week and I feel even more inspired to pursue mediation as my next career – hopefully with TCM! The instructor’s passion and teaching style made the week so interesting and the week fly by; they made the course for me!”

"A fantastic course made even better by the instructor's knowledge, expertise and teaching style. I thoroughly enjoyed the 2 days and would recommend to anyone."

"It was a brilliant course, far exceeding my already high expectations, and such a pleasure to work with you. You pushed us hard but also gently and brought humour and focus in just the right measure, so thank you."

"The course offers intense learning on such important and powerful human connections, working heavily with emotions. As all of us interface whether that be in work or personal, such skills, tools and techniques can help, learnt through this course. It equips you with concepts and complex issues better. We had a great trainer and had a wonderful, though very intensive, week."

"The course was great and the instructor was fantastic. He was so passionate, knowledgeable and positive, he made the learning experience that much better."

"At the age of 53, I found this the most inspiring experience in development I have had in my working life."

"A very experienced and insightful training offered by The TCM Group on workplace investigations. The course was handled excellently despite being delivered remotely due to Covid 19. Would highly recommend!"

"We wanted to review the way that we deal with challenges in the workplace. As a result of the training with TCM, I am now more confident to facilitate win-win outcomes.”

“After looking at several companies I attended one of TCM’s taster sessions. Following that I booked to attend the full course. The service overall was outstanding, and the professionalism of the trainers was outstanding. I still use the supporting material today as a guide. Since I became trained my Trust has now invested in three further Workplace Mediators and we have just completed an 18-month report on the cases we have had referred. We also meet monthly for a debriefing session to discuss cases. We are in the process of reviewing our Grievance Policy and Mediation is already listed as an early intervention before moving to a full-blown investigation. To be completely honest I have always found my interactions with TCM very positive. I feel that I can approach the team at any time for advice and linking into the Webinars is always a good reminder of why we take the steps to resolve issues at the lowest possible level.”

“The TCM Group came on the back of a very strong recommendation by a reputable contact who had already completed the National Certificate in Workplace Mediation course. The course itself was very effective - insightful and practical. The tutor support and feedback were excellent! Training with TCM meant that I was able to develop my skills to resolve complex workplace disputes. The ongoing events/webinars/seminars hosted by the TCM are fantastic and I would definitely recommend them to any of my colleagues/ networks/friends.”

“I chose TCM because their accredited mediation course was more suited to the culture of the organisation I work for. The course was inspiring, clear and supportive for such an intense and focussed subject, it was excellent! I apply the knowledge daily to improve my skills and experience and I will definitely explore attending other training courses with TCM.”

“TCM is a reputation exceeding other organisations. TCM provided the specialist skills for the Mediation Course ensuring that the small groups allowed the focus to work through the mediation approach and style.The course was extremely effective as the practical element I was able to take away and use the skills when mediating at work.  I was able to share my skills and knowledge with managers within the organisation and use the skills effectively. TCM helped by bringing benefits into our organisation by enhancing the need for mediation before taking the formal route of capability.I will always recommend TCM to others due to the personable training that was delivered and the effective approach.”

“Mediation is an excellent and sustainable form of conflict resolution. The course was intense, educational, well-structured and most of all fun. I particularly liked the mixture of different learning styles that was presented by both trainers and I most certainly feel able to start mediating straight away!”

“An insightful and impactful course that will deliver genuine value in a number of different ways for our business. I will apply this learning every day – these are core skills, insights and values that I can employ in my day job. I can also use the practical tools and techniques to help with specific conflict resolution scenarios and business change needs.”

“The National Certificate in Workplace Mediation course was fantastic & the trainer was brilliant. I learned more than I thought possible all in the space of a week. One of the most helpful learning experiences I’ve had!”

“A brilliant course which really helps to understand how conflict arises and how to avoid it.”

“A thoroughly engaging course – extremely challenging, but a rewarding experience and best enjoyed by throwing yourself into the role plays to get the best out of it. Excellently delivered and facilitated with the sole purpose of learning and developing in a safe environment.”

“Hugely inspiring not only as training providers but a real leader in approaching conflict in our organisations today – truly focused on solutions. A real disruptor to the conventional way of approaching conflict in the workplace. The course was fun throughout, with structured content and a good balance of theory and practice!”

"We are pleased that we have jointly appointed external mediators to help us deliver our policy to resolve issues and establish fairness in the workplace, which we are all committed to. It is no surprise that in a business which employs so many people, there will be disagreements from time to time. External mediators can play a vital role in resolving these disagreements quickly and professionally. This will help us to encourage a culture of mutual trust."

"It sticks in my mind because the colleague came out smiling. They told me ‘I’m so happy to have finally had a chance to talk. I’ve been waiting for so long to be heard.’ It made all the work seem worth it. This whole process has reminded our team members to put the human side back into their relationships. We should always be putting our employees first, they are what makes our business."

And while dramatically lower costs are an attractive benefit for the company, it is the positive human impact that is perhaps even more powerful. Angela Presland says: “It helps people to take responsibility for working with us to resolve their own issues. I have had one person who took part in mediation tell me that she felt able to say things that she never thought she’d be able to express. And that’s what I’m hearing from managers too; they tell me people are able to open up in ways they have rarely seen before during employee disputes, and issues are resolved much more quickly and much more satisfactorily for all parties.”

“We’ve just completed the initial training for the mediation accreditation which everyone thoroughly enjoyed and we are now progressing the written element of the assessment.  The trainers were fantastic and I couldn’t recommend the course to anyone enough."

“We’re seeing much more reasoned responses to things and people are approaching things in a different way. People are a lot calmer.” 

“Our managers say they can’t believe how far two people can come in just one day when things have been so bad between them for so long”.

“I have had the best experience with TCM, and I will be recommending TCM to colleagues interested in mediation.”

“I could not be happier with the quality and excellence of the TCM material, the trainer Terry, and the comradery I felt with the other delegates. This has been a wonderful, challenging and rewarding experience.”

“Thank you for an insightful course. The course provided me with useful skills I can apply in the workplace and was professional from start to finish.”

“I highly recommend the National Certificate in Workplace Mediation course. It was delivered to such a high standard and has given me the confidence to put my learning into practice back in the workplace!”

"This is a well taught skill which has great applicability in the real world - I highly recommend it."

"Thank you so much - I'm finishing this course feeling so much more confident about my skills and effectiveness in finding a constructive path to resolution."

"A really good four days, thank you. The trainers were really knowledgeable and well prepared. I feel prepared to move forward and start mediating as I now feel I have the skills to mediate effectively."

"TCM provide excellent, in-depth and practical mediation training. Highly recommend."

"An educational course delivered in an entertaining and engaging manner, would thoroughly recommend if you are considering mediation training."

"TCM trainers provided an excellent course delivery, which was very intense and challenging, however their skill and facilitation put the participants at ease and encouraged where necessary. They always highlighted that this is a learning process and we are all here to learn from each other to become good mediators."

"TCM were great from start to finish and the knowledge of the trainer/s is next to none. If you want to have a sound understanding of mediation in a short period of time then TCM will meet your expectations!"

"It was an excellent course and it went beyond my expectations. I feel privileged to have had the chance to be trained by such experienced and inspiring trainers."

“I just wanted to thank you for delivering a superb course, I can honestly say the content and instruction has been exceptional. I have learnt an incredible amount this week and I feel even more inspired to pursue mediation as my next career – hopefully with TCM! The instructor’s passion and teaching style made the week so interesting and the week fly by; they made the course for me!”

"It was a brilliant course, far exceeding my already high expectations, and such a pleasure to work with you. You pushed us hard but also gently and brought humour and focus in just the right measure, so thank you."

"The course offers intense learning on such important and powerful human connections, working heavily with emotions. As all of us interface whether that be in work or personal, such skills, tools and techniques can help, learnt through this course. It equips you with concepts and complex issues better. We had a great trainer and had a wonderful, though very intensive, week."

"The course was great and the instructor was fantastic. He was so passionate, knowledgeable and positive, he made the learning experience that much better."

"At the age of 53, I found this the most inspiring experience in development I have had in my working life."

“Thank you so much for everything you have done for me in the last two days, you have gone way beyond your role and have, undoubtedly, helped me on my journey to getting back to the career I love. I cannot express how grateful I am for your kindness and support.”    

“The mediator listened carefully to my views and acted in a very professional manner. I was very happy with the mediators approach and outcome as she helped us to identify and evaluate a variety of constructive options.”

“TCM are excellent and specialise in mediation services. They really are the experts in this field. I have used TCM several times and always get good results from them. David and his team always go that extra mile for you. If you do a cost benefit analysis, TCM are able to save organisations considerable amounts of money. It is also highly rewarding to see staff working together again in a really positive way (in the majority of cases). TCM have a 92% success rate and I would not go anywhere else.”

“The mediator was wonderful – I would strongly recommend TCM to anyone who is experiencing workplace conflict. Thanks to HR for funding this process – it was remarkably helpful.”

“I am very satisfied with the outcome. The mediator explained things well and the mediation was very well structured.“

“A very successful meeting, very constructive and explored all of my concerns. I felt listened too and was able to voice any issues that I had wanted to raise. A very positive outcome was reached.”

"Just a quick line to thank TCM for the recent mediation service provided to RCPCH. A very successful day and working relationships improved enormously. I have always believed in restorative processes and the service offered by TCM really is excellent and evidences that this this really is the right approach to resolving conflict."

“Our managers say they can’t believe how far two people can come in just one day when things have been so bad between them for so long”.

“The mediator was excellent! Very positive, I feel that we have already taken some steps forward. I felt that the mediator was fully aware of the issues and did not pass judgement.”

“Had been impressed with a talk from David on achieving the benefits of ‘positive conflict’ so invited him/TCM to facilitate a process to optimise our Executive team-working. Really worked well: the power of professional external facilitation allowed us all to take more risk and confront issues in a more open way. Now have a great framework – both individual and team – for taking the team to an even better level of interaction: critical given the pressures we are facing in our business sector. And it was fun too!”

“It was better than expected – I felt releived with the outcome. We have a plan to more forward which should aid in relationship. Very professional, and would highly recommend.”

“The course was very useful in understanding the practicalities to consider when undertaking investigations such as location, time, body language and tone of voice. It provided helpful tips on how to improve quality of investigations such as weekly updates to managers and respondents taking which in a large organisation such as the NHS can often be missed. I would highly recommend to other NHS staff.”

“You have to give the praise where it is due. The level of efficiency is one of the highest I’ve ever worked with. The quality of training is high. The mediators I’ve spoken to were absolutely lovely. TCM is a perfect example of how an organisation should function. That’s just my humble opinion. Whenever something comes up at work I always say TCM can deal with it.”

“The TCM Group assisted us with a workplace grievance investigation and were fantastic throughout from start to finish. Working in a busy organisation with Senior Individuals who certainly don't have the availability nor time to deal with such issues, they were able to take the process away and deal with it independently. The communication throughout was great, as was the level of detail they provided within their follow up report. I would not hesitate in recommending or using their services again.”

"I am very happy with the service provided by TCM. Often in Operations we are so busy ensuring that our Service Users are well cared for, it is difficult for us to assign Managers to investigations. TCM do a fantastic job supporting us with investigations and by using TCM, we ensure investigations are impartial and outcomes are fair. The turnaround on investigations is really quick, which again is sometimes a struggle for us at Cygnet Health Care. I would thoroughly recommend TCM to support businesses."

"TCM certainly met our requirements and listened to our feedback to change the initial facilitator proposed to a more compatible match which represents excellent client service. It was great working with Aideen, she was very aligned to our Plan values and took the time to understand our needs and was open to suggestions for the format of the workshop and she also asked about the participants and their specific areas of interest so she had more of an idea of her audience before she met them. On the day she facilitated the session well and put everyone at ease and created an informal space that encouraged discussion and dialogue. She ensured everyone’s voices were heard and she did a good job of assimilating all of the various ideas into a visual representation of the process map which was really helpful as there were lots of suggestions from those in the room. She has also been very patient as the internal processes have delayed the next steps on this piece of work. We would definite...

“TCM conducted a very complex racism investigation, you were superb, it was money well spent. We would spend the money and use your company again if we were to face the same situation.”

“I would also like to mention that I have had lots of superb feedback about your investigation – most people that were interviewed were very impressed by the investigator’s professionalism and the quick turnaround of their statements. My boss – the interim HR Director – said to me yesterday, “I do not know where you found TCM but they are good.”

“TCM provided an excellent and highly professional external investigation service for us. The team was always available when we needed anything, and the investigator was incredibly efficient, thorough and personable. All in all – it was perfect!”

“David led an insightful and knowledgeable discussion on the benefits of properly structured mediation interventions to resolve individual conflict issues in the work environment. He is passionate in his advocacy of the value of carefully considered mediation where communication has broken down. His thoughts on the organisation’s values and culture as the starting point to resolve issues where a breakdown in relationships has taken place was reinforced with practical steps evolved out of years of experience with what works. David is a rewarding and gifted speaker with the ability to give clear and nuanced messages in an area fraught with a lot of muddled thinking and poor personal experiences.”

“We are extremely grateful to David Liddle of The TCM Group for leading an insightful discussion to our members on ‘Taking the Grief out of Grievance’ earlier this year. This event which was attended by over 70 HR professionals received excellent feedback with 93% of attendees rating David’s session as good or excellent.  In particular members reported that they found the session informative and that it developed and challenged thinking around  grievance, mediation and conflict resolution, as well as leading them to consider the proposition of changing from a grievance to a resolution policy approach.”

“David Liddle from TCM recently delivered an excellent event for the Swindon and North Wiltshire CIPD. It was a very engaging session and we had some great feedback afterwards. The topic is a very important one to most if not all businesses, Redefining Resolution. We were excited to book David and he delivered a very informative and interactive evening.  David delivered some thought provoking information which made everyone begin to think about alternatives to the ‘normal’ formal grievance procedures and how to avoid the almost inevitable increase in tension within the organisation, while encouraging mediation and other informal approaches. This methodology also is very cost effective, avoiding the heavy input required from managers when trying to resolve conflict or grievances. The feedback from the group that David delivered to is overwhelmingly positive and I can highly recommend David and The TCM Group.”

“David Liddle of TCM provided a really engaging and thought provoking session aimed at helping our members to think about the compelling reasons to modernise and make dispute resolution approaches more effective. David is a fun speaker  who draws on a wealth of experience to generate debate and he provided real added value to the session with generous access for participants to TCM resources. Such a popular session we’ll be inviting him back again!”

“I invited David to organise a seminar for the Association for Project Management (APM) to help project management professionals develop conflict resolution and mediation skills. David’s workshop was excellent; it was full of expertise and humour, allowed the delegates to reflect and speak about their experiences openly and provided us with a lot of practical tips on how to manage, and make the most of, disagreements in a workplace. David is a true professional with an ability to make a difference and it was a pleasure to work with him.”