Overview

Even within healthy and positive work environments, certain conversations present significant challenges. This course examines why these interactions become so difficult, how to manage the emotional responses they trigger, and which strategies work best for managers, leaders, and individual contributors when navigating these sensitive workplace discussions.

This Express Skills training is designed to complement and extend Mastering the Art of Critical Conversations.

Primary Course Goals:

Understanding why certain conversations feel difficult, exploring the fight or flight biological response, and its role in emotional reactions
Identifying physical and behavioral signs of fight or flight in yourself and in others
Responding effectively to your own triggers and the triggers you observe in colleagues
Recognizing how remote work arrangements, hybrid schedules, and workplace climate create heightened fight or flight responses in professional conversations
Reflecting on and analyzing your own experiences with difficult conversations

Key Benefits You Will Gain:

Decrease worry and nervousness when preparing for challenging conversations
Strengthen your self-assurance and capability in managing difficult interactions successfully
Model healthy approaches to difficult conversations for your team and organization

Content Overview:

Understand the underlying science that explains emotional responses during challenging conversations
Learn to spot signs of the fight or flight response and manage triggers effectively in yourself and others
Move from a competitive or defensive conversational stance toward collaboration and partnership
Establish a clear objective for your difficult conversation and maintain focus throughout the discussion
Apply proven communication methods to manage challenging conversations and create better results

Ideal Participants:

Individual contributors at all levels, team leaders, managers, and senior leaders

Classroom Outline and Delivery:

Understanding Emotional Responses in Difficult Conversations

Why do some conversations become so difficult?
The fight or flight response: understanding the science behind our emotional reactions
Recognizing signs of fight or flight in yourself and in others
Managing triggers in yourself and in your colleagues
The impact of remote work, flexible arrangements, and organizational climate on fight or flight responses in workplace conversations
Analyzing your own experiences and patterns

The Importance of Emotional Management in Difficult Conversations

Examining the personal and organizational value of overcoming the fight or flight response

Shifting Your Conversational Approach

Examining the limiting assumptions we often make about truth, intentions, and responsibility
Developing a mindset of openness and curiosity, and learning how to make the transition

Strategies for Productive Conversations: Using Communication Techniques to Navigate Difficult Situations

Learning why identifying a clear conversation objective matters and how to redirect when conversations get derailed
Using collaborative language that reduces emotional activation and reaches desired outcomes