Managing difficult conversations

Learn to raise issues, navigate conflict & say ‘no’ more confidently.

Duration

HALF OR FULL DAY

Location

ON-SITE OR ONLINE

Group Size

UP TO 100

Certification

CERTIFICATE OF PARTICIPATION

Course Flyer - Download

OVERVIEW

Many issues in the workplace could be easily addressed with a constructive conversation with the people involved early. However, things often aren’t addressed because people avoid these difficult conversations, or they try something that doesn’t work which leads to escalation of emotions and ongoing conflict, complaints, tensions and rifts.

Completing this workshop will help you:

  • How to start a conversation with someone and prevent defensiveness

  • How to respond to elevated emotions, such as anger, frustration, disappointment or distress

  • Recognise someone in ‘fight or flight’ mode and how to de-escalate

  • Hone active listening skills, including summarising, reframing, how and when to use silence

  • Learn to protect yourself from negative impacts of conversations both in the moment and longer-term.

Who is the course for?

  • Staff dealing with complaints and issues

  • Customer service professionals

  • People who need to say no and hold boundaries

  • Staff who need to proactively raise issues and set up a problem-solving framework.

  • People who avoid bringing up issues because of confidence

MODULES

  • Recognise the fight or flight response and learn how to help someone calm down and re-engage their ‘rational brain’.

  • Help someone to feel heard and ackwnowledged – whether or not you agree with their perspective. 

  • Help someone to be more aware of what is specifically upsetting them about a situation. Guide a conversation to be future-focussed and solution-focussed. 

  • Help someone develop a plan for moving forward. Learn which questions and responses help someone feel more confident and capable to manage their situation. are questions that are proven to help someone develop a plan for moving forward. Learn which questions and responses help someone feel more confident and capable to manage their situation and likely to follow up with next steps. 

  • Learn to demonstrate empathy (not sympathy). Feel more confident ‘holding the line’ where needed and avoid getting sucked in to a situation. 

Participant Feedback

  • Glen Stephens

    London

    "A good reminder of how to approach a situation, don't get tunnel vision, use a low tone, be assertive but not aggressive/passive"

  • Flora

    Public Servant

    "Telephone conversation skills were great - especially when we have to deliver bad news"

  • Terry

    Project Manager

    "I hadn't thought about planning the structure of a conversations, how to advise of bad news then how to end the call. High conflict personalities was also great"

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