Difficult Conversations in the Workplace - 1 Day Course - Sydney

Meaningful conversations aren’t always easy, but they are a crucial part of leadership. Deliver constructive feedback with clarity and deal with high emotions in the workplace.

As a manager, sometimes you need to have conversations that you’d rather not. Dealing with performance issues or habitual patterns like chronic lateness can be tough and may stir up emotions, but these conversations are crucial in the workplace and need to be handled in the right way. This practical course will give you the confidence to recognise, plan and manage these conversations, as well as the opportunity to practise using constructive feedback techniques to achieve more positive outcomes.

Learning outcomes

• Manage workplace interactions up, down and across organisations.

• Recognise and manage difficult behaviours to achieve a positive outcome.

• Plan and prepare effectively prior to delivering feedback.

• Confidently provide structured, clear, concise, constructive and timely feedback.

• Use effective listening and questioning skills to gain agreement and commitment.

• Learn how to deal with high emotions during crucial conversations and frame up difficult conversations to get the best results.

Topics covered in this training course

Your personal feedback skills
Learn what effective feedback looks like, why people avoid it, and strategies you can use in crucial conversations.

Give or get
The difference between positive and destructive feedback.

Recognising difficult behaviour
Explore specific difficult behaviours and how you as an individual respond.

Managing difficult behaviours
Using assertiveness to express your feelings, needs and wants in an open and non-threatening way.

The ladder of inference
Understand the thinking steps that can lead you to jump to wrong conclusions.

Emotional intelligence
Understand the different functions of your brain and where emotions, thoughts and information are processed.

Communication techniques for feedback
Understanding the communication process.

Effective listening
Examine four listening response patterns and determine their advantages and disadvantages.

Effective questions
How to ask open questions to get the best results.

Constructive feedback techniques
Using a range of feedback techniques and matching them to the situation.

Dealing with high emotions
The hardest part of dealing with difficult behaviours is dealing with people’s emotions.

Using your voice
How using the appropriate tone can help calm a difficult situation.

The power of words
How to frame up difficult conversations to get the best results.