Managing Difficult Conversations
The Managing Difficult Conversations workshop provides a framework for understanding why some of our most important conversations are so hard and offers a step-by-step method to manage them with more confidence and achieve better outcomes.
The program is based on the ideas published in the book Difficult Conversations (Stone, Patton, and Sheen, 1999). We offer the program through our affiliation with Triad Consulting Group, a company operated by two of the book’s authors – Sheila Heen and Doug Stone.
The workshop is comprised of the following modules:
Diagnosing the Problem – Why we feel stuck?
Understanding the three conversations that underlie every difficult conversation.
- The “What Happened?” Conversation – Most of the time in difficult conversations is spent discussing what happened or should happen. This almost always involves questions of who is right, who is to blame, and whether people are operating in good faith. This segment shows how to break the cycle of argument and blame and to approach problems as forward-looking opportunities to learn and problem-solve together.
- The “Feelings” Conversation – Understanding the role of emotions – yours and theirs and what works when addressing emotionally loaded situations.
- The “Identity” Conversation – Every difficult conversation is also about “identity” – what we believe the conversation says about our competence and values. Anything that challenges our self-perception knocks us off-balance – making us less effective. This module provides advice on how to regain balance and to open and conduct conversations in ways that are less threatening to others.
Delivering “Bad” news
What if they do not follow the script?
Given that most conversations will take place with people who have not taken this program, a key question is how to manage the conversation and get it back on track when things go wrong? This segment offers several tools for guiding the conversation and salvaging ones that go off the rails.
Organizational benefits of this program include:
- More open and sound decision-making
- More productive cross functional teamwork
- Improved ability to manage conflict throughout the organization
- Enhanced effectiveness with clients, partners and suppliers
Who Should Attend:
The Managing Difficult Conversations workshop is suited for executives, management teams, sales and account managers, cross-functional team leaders and managers who want to improve their ability to communicate for results.
