Difficult Conversations
Deliver hard messages — performance gaps, behavioural issues, restructure news — with clarity and respect.
Learning objectives
- 1.Prepare structurally for high-stakes conversations
- 2.Manage emotion (theirs and yours) without avoiding the message
- 3.Follow up to ensure understood agreements
EC competencies developed
Full framework →Preparation checklist
Know your facts. Anticipate reactions. Choose private setting. Allow adequate time. Plan opening sentence — avoid small talk that delays the point. Have HR present when required by procedure.
During the conversation
State issue clearly. Pause for response. Listen without becoming defensive. Acknowledge emotion without reversing decision unless new facts emerge. Agree next steps and timeline.
Afterward
Send summary email confirming understanding. Monitor follow-through. Revisit in 1:1. Difficult conversations fail when managers treat them as one-off events rather than ongoing accountability.
Practice
Hands-onApply this lesson before you move on. Your work is saved in your personal workbook.
Opening line for a difficult conversation
You must tell a strong technical expert that their repeated late deliveries on a shared file are damaging the unit’s credibility. Draft your opening 4–6 sentences (facts first, no small-talk delay).
- Lead with the issue, not pleasantries that postpone the point
- Separate person from performance
- Invite their perspective after stating the issue
Key takeaways
- ★Clarity is kindness — ambiguity prolongs pain
- ★Prepare facts and next steps; don't improvise high-stakes messages
- ★Follow-up converts conversation into behaviour change
You haven't finished the practice block yet. You can still mark the lesson complete — or finish the practice first (recommended).