Difficult conversations in the workplace come in various forms. They may involve interactions with upset customers, addressing performance concerns, or resolving conflicts among colleagues. These types of conversations are typically centered around important or critical matters, often evoking strong emotions and differing perspectives. However, with the right tools and strategies, you can excel in handling such challenging conversations.

Performance Objectives: Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Recognize common defensive reactions.
• Identify the signs of defensiveness in yourself and in others.
• Employ strategies for communicating non-defensively and diffusing another person's frustrations or anger.
• Manage your own emotional reactions when faced with a challenging conversation.
• Avoid common mistakes when dealing with another person’s outburst and propose a "win-win" scenario.
• Manage challenging conversations.
• Prepare for, initiate, and conduct a challenging workplace conversation.

Intended Audience: All audiences.