Difficult Conversations

Dealing with difficult or challenging conversations is often a skill that managers find hard, especially when the issues surround performance, conduct or achieving workplace goals. There can be a tendency to ‘shy away’ from dealing with issues early which can lead them to escalate into bigger problems which could have been avoided if only the manager had intervened at the outset. Working remotely from our teams, this skill is even more important as problems can develop. 

This workshop is designed to give you practical techniques and structured approaches together with the confidence and skills to deploy them within your teams. We explore how to deal assertively with resistance and/or pushback during such conversations (whether face to face or virtually) to ensure discussions are productive and lead to the positive outcomes that, ultimately, everyone wants.  

By the end of the programme, participants will:

• Confidently approach challenging or difficult conversations with team members and colleagues
• Understand why people act, react and respond the way they do and how to handle that with empathy and understanding 
• Know what to do to gather information and data so as to give constructive and supportive feedback on someone’s behaviour and performance
• Know how to structure a conversation to achieve the best outcomes
• Have techniques for developing appropriate levels of assertiveness to deal with any pushback or resistance you may face 
• Have an action plan for putting your learning into practice within your workplace