Course Highlights
This difficult conversations workshop will:
- Prepare participants with strategies to navigate challenging conversations confidently and constructively.
- Provide practical frameworks, including ACT, STEP, REAL, BEAR, and FACT, for handling tough discussions with clarity and empathy.
- Focus on emotional management techniques for delivering and receiving feedback in high-stakes situations.
- Offer tools to reduce defensiveness, enhance active listening, and create positive communication outcomes.
Course Overview
Difficult conversations are an inevitable part of any workplace, from addressing performance concerns and misunderstandings to delivering constructive feedback and navigating emotionally charged issues. “Tough Talk: Planning and Managing Difficult Conversations” prepares participants to handle these situations with composure, empathy, and a focus on productive outcomes. Through engaging discussions, practice sessions, and real-world applications, this program provides a comprehensive approach to holding challenging conversations.
Participants will first identify factors that contribute to the difficulty of certain discussions, as well as explore common barriers to open, honest communication. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the distinction between intent and impact and recognizing how well-intentioned actions can sometimes have unintended consequences. Participants will also learn techniques to regulate emotions, both for themselves and for the people they interact with, helping them remain composed and responsive.
The workshop introduces a variety of structured conversation frameworks, allowing participants to choose the approach that best suits each unique situation. Alongside these models, they will practice using “I” statements, apply techniques for active listening, and replace potentially inflammatory language with more constructive alternatives. Through role-plays and exercises, participants will gain confidence in delivering difficult messages, while demonstrating empathy and understanding.
Finally, the course covers strategies for dealing with different conversation outcomes, including how to respond if the feedback is well-received, inconsistently applied, or entirely ignored. By the end of the session, participants will have a solid action plan for addressing challenging conversations with confidence, empathy, and professionalism.
The following outline highlights some of the course’s key learning points. As part of your training program, we will modify content as needed to meet your business objectives. Upon request, we will provide you with a copy of the participant materials prior to the session(s).
Program Objectives
At this program’s conclusion, participants should be able to:
- Describe factors that make conversations challenging.
- Recognize obstacles that hinder effective feedback.
- Distinguish between intent and its impact on others.
- Identify unhelpful intentions that may arise in conversations.
- Summarize techniques for managing emotions when giving and receiving feedback.
- Practice using “I” statements.
- Identify alternatives to language that can escalate tension.
- Apply the ACT, STEP, REAL, BEAR, and FACT frameworks in handling challenging conversations.
- Discuss the consequences of avoiding necessary conversations.
- Suggest strategies to address feedback obstacles identified in assessments.
- Show empathy and active listening skills.
- Create a plan for handling three potential outcomes: positive response, inconsistent action, and no improvement.
Workshop Modules
- Preparing for Difficult Conversations: Recognizing Sensitive Topics
- Intent vs. Impact: Understanding Differences and Managing Both
- Managing Emotions: Staying Composed and Regulating Reactions
- Constructive Feedback: Approaches for Giving and Receiving Criticism
- Building Blocks: Mindset, Empathy, Framing, and Listening Skills
- Exploring Outcomes: Developing Solutions and Moving Forward
Target Audience
This workshop is designed for groups that want to:
- Build a culture of candor and accountability.
- Learn skills for addressing tough topics and holding difficult conversations.
- Improve their ability to deliver tough messages.
Suggested Format
- One-Day Onsite Training Course
Questions This Page Answers About Difficult Conversations Training
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