Managing Difficult Conversations

Managing Difficult Conversations

You know that sinking feeling when you see someone's name pop up in your calendar and you think "Oh great, here we go again"? Whether it's giving feedback to someone who gets defensive, addressing poor performance, or dealing with conflict between team members, difficult conversations are the part of work that keeps most of us awake at night. And let's be honest - most of us would rather clean the office microwave than have another awkward chat about someone's attitude problem.

Here's the thing though: avoiding these conversations doesn't make them go away. That team member who's constantly negative? They're not going to magically become a ray of sunshine. The person who misses deadlines and makes excuses? Time won't fix that either. What actually happens is the problem gets bigger, your stress levels go through the roof, and eventually you're dealing with a much messier situation that could have been sorted out months ago.

The good news is that difficult conversations don't have to be the workplace equivalent of root canal surgery. When you know what you're doing, they can actually strengthen relationships and solve problems properly. I've seen managers go from dreading these chats to handling them with confidence, and it makes a massive difference to their stress levels and their team's performance.

This training gives you a practical framework that works in real situations - not some theoretical model that falls apart the moment someone gets emotional or defensive. You'll learn how to prepare for these conversations so you're not winging it, how to stay calm when things get heated, and most importantly, how to get the outcome you actually need.

What You'll Learn:

How to prepare for difficult conversations so you're not caught off guard when emotions run high
Techniques to stay calm and professional even when the other person gets defensive or upset
A step-by-step approach to address performance issues without destroying relationships
Ways to give feedback that people can actually hear and act on, rather than just getting defensive
Strategies for managing your own emotions when you're frustrated or angry
How to follow up after difficult conversations to make sure the changes actually stick
Scripts and phrases that work in real situations, not just in training rooms

The Bottom Line:

After this training, you'll stop avoiding the conversations you know you need to have. You'll handle conflict and performance issues before they become major problems, and your team will respect you more for being direct and fair. Most importantly, you'll go home at the end of the day without that nagging stress about all the things you should have said but didn't. It's about making your work life easier and more effective, one conversation at a time.

Available in Perth and online.