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  • Hate having “that talk” with your people?

    Every manager needs to approach difficult conversations in their career. It can be one of the most difficult parts of the job. Handle it well and you can avoid poor performance, complaints and employees quitting.

    Avoid it and the situation rarely goes away on its own. 

    There are techniques and skills that can make handling difficult conversations much easier. It can also reduce risk to the business and change behaviours in your team for the better.  

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Having Difficult Conversations Needs
​a Particular Skillset

The good news is that handling difficult conversations is a skill that any manager can learn. In fact, some techniques we teach will even show you how to deal with certain situations in a way that means you shouldn’t need to go as far as having a difficult conversation in the first place. 

Giving managers confidence

We know that unwanted behaviours, office conflict, and a lack of motivation can impact even the most committed employee. Getting on top of these situations before they escalate – and in a way that gets the best outcome for the business – is a crucial part of management.  


The Having Difficult Conversations one-day training will take your managers from dreading the talk, to going into the meeting with confidence and knowing how to remove emotion from the process. 

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Your managers will learn: 

Why conflict arises and how to respond to it early on
How and when to raise issues and most importantly how to start these conversations 
How to map the process to resolve conflict 
The Emotional vs Cognitive Response method for preparing their next difficult conversation
The essential communication skills which underpin conflict management
How to get the best outcome from difficult conversations

We deliver the training using practical exercises and your manager should come ready to take part in the day.  They will leave with skills ready to implement in their role.

What’s included:

One-day training in our training room – a neutral space which encourages open conversation

Refreshments on the day 

Workbook

Supporting templates and checklists

At the end of the training, your manager will be equipped with the skills and techniques needed to handle challenging situations in your business. This will help reduce the risk of formal complaints, grievances and investigations.  

It will free up senior leadership time as you will no longer be pulled into situations that your managers could be handling themselves.  

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Having Difficult Conversations

is for:  

  • New or aspiring managers
  • Established and senior managers without formal training 
  • Employees showing leadership qualities
  • Managers struggling within their role or suffering from stress and imposter syndrome
  • Business founders of start-ups who are seeing significant team growth
  • Managers who need extra support with their teams

Having Difficult Conversations 

is not for: 

  • Managers who believe they already know it all and have nothing to learn
  • Anyone who wants a box-ticking exercise

Feedback on the Programme:

Extremely useful that is relevant to any role. Everything I’ve learned in this session will improve my management skills
The practice on real-life scenarios is invaluable for daily working life.
Really useful skills to open up these kind of conversations

Frequently Asked Questions

I have a team of managers; can I book this training for them?

Yes, if you have at least six managers who you want trained on Having Difficult Conversations, we can arrange for a training event specifically for your business. If you have less than six managers, book a call with Duncan to find out how we can help you.

How long does the training last?

It’s a one-day course and runs over usual office hours of 9am –5pm with an hour break for lunch. 

How many people will be in the group?

We limit our training days to 8 people so that everyone has a chance to take part in the exercises and get feedback. If the group is full on the date you want to attend, we will look at alternative options with you.  

Can you run Having Difficult Conversations from my office?

If you want us to run the course for your business, we can have a chat about how this will work. It’s important that training takes place in a safe, neutral space so that your managers feel free to have open discussions. They will also need to practise their new skills, which is best done away from the temptation to check emails or any other interruptions. 

Do I need to book a call before booking onto the course?

Yes. We like to make sure that the course is right for your managers before we book anyone on. It also gives you the chance to ask us any questions and we can understand a bit more about your business. Book a call with Duncan here.