Managing Difficult Conversations

Managing Difficult Conversations

Location: Brisbane

You know that moment when you see your colleague's name pop up on your calendar for a "quick chat" and your stomach immediately drops? Or when you realise you've been putting off that performance conversation for three weeks because you just don't know how to start it without making things worse? We've all been there – staring at our computer screen, practising what we're going to say, but knowing it'll probably go sideways the moment we open our mouth.

The truth is, most of us never learned how to have these conversations properly. We either avoid them completely (and watch problems get bigger), dive in too aggressively (and damage relationships), or try to soften everything so much that nothing actually gets resolved. Sound familiar? You're definitely not alone.

Here's what makes this different from other communication training – we're going to practice with real scenarios that happen in your workplace every day. Not role plays about perfect situations, but messy, uncomfortable conversations like telling someone their work isn't meeting standards, addressing a colleague who keeps interrupting in meetings, or discussing performance issues with someone who gets defensive immediately.

You'll learn how to prepare for these conversations without over-thinking them to death, how to stay calm when the other person gets emotional, and most importantly, how to have business supervising skills that actually lead to positive change rather than just clearing the air.

We'll cover practical techniques for opening difficult conversations, managing your own emotional reactions when things get heated, and finding solutions that work for everyone involved. Plus, you'll discover how to follow up afterwards so the conversation actually makes a difference long-term.

What You'll Learn:

How to prepare for difficult conversations without rehearsing yourself into paralysis or avoiding them altogether. You'll get a simple framework that works whether you're addressing poor performance, giving constructive feedback, or discussing sensitive workplace issues.

Techniques for staying composed when the other person becomes defensive, angry, or emotional. We'll practice real responses you can use when conversations go off track.

Ways to address the actual problem without attacking the person. You'll learn how to separate behaviours from personalities and focus on solutions rather than blame.

How to listen actively during tense conversations so you can understand what's really driving the conflict or issue.

Strategies for reaching agreements that both parties can commit to, not just temporary fixes that fall apart a week later.

Methods for following up effectively to ensure the conversation leads to lasting change in behaviour or performance.

The Bottom Line:

After this course, you'll stop dreading those difficult conversations and start seeing them as opportunities to solve problems and strengthen working relationships. You'll have practical tools you can use immediately, whether you're a team leader, manager, or individual contributor who needs to address issues with colleagues. Most importantly, you'll feel confident that you can handle whatever comes up in these conversations without damaging relationships or avoiding the real issues that need to be addressed.