Many of us find reasons to put off initiating those conversations that we know will be difficult. We may realise that if we continue to avoid, the situation will get worse. We may also know that the reality is never as bad as what we imagine. But somehow this knowledge doesn’t make it any easier for us to take action

So what can we do about that? There are three stages in the effective management of difficult conversations: preparation; the interaction itself; and follow up and action planning. Our approach takes people through each of these stages, reflecting on personal beliefs, attitudes and behaviours and introducing effective strategies for:

• preparing emotionally, accessing support and managing environmental factors (stage one);
• setting the scene, asking questions, using body language effectively, managing feelings, listening properly and recording (stage two);
• debriefing, reflecting and following up (stage three);

At the end of the process, managers will have a framework to support them when next they face that dilemma.

The experiential approach allows managers to practice different strategies through a combination of an interactive live action scenario and
role play. The learning is then supported by action learning or coaching to ensure that it leads to changes in practice.