Difficult Conversations
I have experience with
Management and staff
Conduct conversations
Performance and development reviews
Feedback and expectation conversations
Sickness absence conversations
Wellbeing conversations, e.g. about stress or personal crises
Dismissals
Conversations about restructuring and change
Resignations and exit interviews
Recruitment
Job interviews
Rejecting candidates
Sales and customers
Sales conversations
Negotiation
Complaint handling and angry customers
Saying no, e.g. to extra tasks or price reductions
Conflict and collaboration
Conflict conversations between colleagues
Mediation as a third party
Conversations about inappropriate behaviour
Conversations with a new or difficult boss
Citizens, patients and relatives (relevant for the public and healthcare sectors)
Difficult messages and bad news
Conversations with angry or frustrated citizens
Conversations with next of kin
Crisis management on site
An experienced role-play actor plays the employee or manager you need to talk to. The conversation is based on a realistic situation from your own everyday working life. The goal is better conversations between equals, with the right balance between empathy and setting boundaries.
Practising what is difficult
With safe yet incisive facilitation, each participant rehearses a recognisable conversation. The role-play actor tells you how it felt to sit on the other side of the table. The reflecting team offers clear observations, not well-meant advice. This is where the learning happens. Not in theory, but in the moment, when you are part of it yourself.
It works
Practice makes perfect, and everyone knows that training is crucial.
And here, there are no consequences.
You simply try again.
Result
- You get specific feedback on how your conversation partner experiences you – even when the other person reacts with anger, tears or silence
- You become aware of how body language, pace, pauses and emotions affect your conversation
- You find out what you need in your preparation and how to set a clear goal
- You practise how a conversation becomes clearer and more respectful for both parties by understanding old habits and trying out new tools
- You learn to give and receive constructive, concrete feedback as equals.
How it works
- An initial conversation to identify your needs
- Interviews about the conversations that are typically difficult in your organisation
- I develop cases and roles, and you review them until they are spot on
- We agree on the framework, so all participants feel safe
- 4-6 participants. Larger groups can be divided into parallel tracks with one actor and one facilitator.