Communication

Difficult Conversations

Prepare for, open and survive the conversation you have been postponing.

The business challenge

Why organizations ask for this

The conversation postponed is the problem compounded. Managers avoid it because they have no structure, and every week of delay makes the conversation harder and the outcome worse.

Approach & methodology

How the programme actually runs

2 modules · 5 weeks · Face-to-face, practice-heavy · RO / EN

Mindset

The mindset for a one-to-one where the message is unwelcome.

Preparing the conversation

Preparing the conversation rather than the script: outcome, evidence, and the line you will not cross.

Opening without triggering defence

The first ninety seconds, and how most conversations are lost in them.

Staying in it

Non-violent communication principles; managing your own emotion when the temperature rises; handling the reactions you did not expect.

Closing with an agreement

Ending with a specific, mutual commitment rather than a vague understanding.

Practice

Simulations on the participants' own postponed conversations.

Competencies built

What participants can do afterwards

Emotional intelligence

Manage the temperature of the conversation, including your own.

Assertiveness

Open with the real subject instead of circling it for ten minutes.

Empathy

Leave the other person their dignity, whatever the outcome.

Negotiation

Find the path forward once the difficult part has been said.

Feedback delivery

Bring evidence, not accumulated grievance.

Expected business outcomes

What the organization should see

Improved ability to manage tension constructively

Stronger relationships built on trust

Reduced team friction and turnover

Schedule & format

Practical details

Audience

Managers and leaders

Duration

2 modules · 5 weeks

Format

Face-to-face, practice-heavy · RO / EN

Measurement

Kirkpatrick L1–L4

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Managers and leaders.

2 modules · 5 weeks. The rhythm is deliberate: modules are spaced so participants apply the behaviour at work between sessions.

Face-to-face, practice-heavy. We adapt the mix to your geography and shift patterns.

Yes, and it always is. We start with two to three individual conversations with selected participants, then rebuild the cases, the language and the practice situations from your business.

Kirkpatrick levels one to four: reaction, knowledge, self-assessed behaviour, and the participant's manager assessing the same competencies. We agree the target behaviours with the sponsor before design starts.

Digital missions and buddy work on PROMOTE, with the participant's own manager involved. This is the difference between 15-20% and 60-80% transfer into practice.

Yes. We also deliver in French across our Western European and African operations.

Related programmes

Others in Communication

Storytelling in Public Speaking

Structure, story and presence, so the message survives the room and gets repeated afterwards.

PCM: Process Communication Model

A certified model for reading personality in real time. According to PCM, the process of communication (how we say something) is the differentiating factor in whether what we say lands at all.

Feedback

Feedback that is specific, timely and survivable, for both people in the room. Built on SBI and the feedforward mindset.

Start a conversation

Book a strategic discussion about Difficult Conversations

If you are exploring how capability building can strengthen performance across your organization, we can help you identify where the greatest opportunities for impact lie and what capabilities matter most in your specific context.

Our first conversation is exploratory. We look at your business priorities, current challenges and organizational maturity to identify where capability development could create the most meaningful and measurable value.