Engaging in difficult conversations

About this course

If you had a choice between having a difficult conversation or avoiding it which would you do? Most of us, if we were honest with ourselves, would prefer to avoid a difficult conversation. Unfortunately this usually comes back to bite us at a later date. If we avoid or delay difficult conversations it is common for the situation to deteriorate and for anxiety levels about both the issue and the conversation to increase.

Supervisors and Managers do not have the luxury of avoiding difficult conversations. It goes with the job of supervising others.  It is a fundamental skill that we assume Supervisors and Managers have inherently, but this may not be the case. This course provides Supervisors and Managers with the skills, techniques and tools to have difficult workplace conversations.  Once Supervisors and Managers have the tool kit they need to tackle these types of workplace issues with confidence, they are more likely to act early and not avoid the inevitable.

Course content

• The contexts within which difficult conversations arise in workplaces
• How the brain works under social stress
• The importance of creating safety
• Common pitfalls
• Planning and engaging in difficult conversations

Course outcome

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify the contexts that lead to difficult conversations in workplaces
• Apply their understanding of how the brain works under social stress to minimise threat and maximise reward in conversations
• Understand common communication practices that can derail a difficult conversation
• Obtain better results from difficult conversations