Dealing with Difficult Conversations - For Staff

Course Description:

We can’t escape tough conversations at work – whether it’s speaking with a colleague about how their actions impact us, a boss about how we can’t take on “one more thing” – or someone using our services about expectations.  This course is for you if:

• you have difficulty delivering difficult messages at work;
• you avoid conflict like the plague; or
• you are unsure of how to address tensions.

Conflicts handled badly or avoided altogether can sap creativity, tie up energy, destroy teamwork, and lower productivity and morale. Learning how to engage difficult conversations can bring you more peace of mind, less day to day stress, and better relationships at work.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

• A framework to prepare for any difficult conversation

• How to foster collaboration and avoid the tendency to blame

• How to apply behavioral language to frame your issues

• Steps to effective problem-solving

Facilitator: Julia Menard is a trained mediator and Professional Certified Coach.  She’s also on the teaching team at the Justice Institute’s Centre for Conflict Resolution - where she’s helped hundreds of executives prepare for difficult conversations since 1998.  Julia has a background in managing volunteers as well as mediating community, civil and criminal mediations.  She now specializes in mediating and coaching for leaders in large organizations.  Julia has run many courses on preparing for difficult conversations and publishes her own newsletter on collaborative topics in health, the environment and negotiation.

Competencies:

Course Length: 7 hours