Difficult Conversations – Bringing the Knowledge Together
May 22, 2017Early in 2017 I ran a ten week online course entitled “Holding Difficult Conversations”. There were 27 participants and it went down very well! I want to make sure that everyone can make teh most of this learning so I am putting everything together here.
Week 1: What Do You Really Want?
This first week looked at the notion of the “mindful pause” to help take a moment to consider what we really want in engaging in Difficult Conversations. Your article is here and your audio commentary presentation is here.
Week 2: Managing Thoughts About Others
Difficult Conversations often involve developing strong feelings about the people we are dealing with, this is often not helpful! Read more here and hear/see more here
Week 3: Managing Thoughts About Ourselves
Thoughts of our own success or failure feature greatly when we reflect on Difficult Conversations – learn more on how to manage this in your article here and listen to what I have to say here
Week 4: Setting up the Best Environmental Context
Getting the space right when dealing with challenging conversations is crucial – find out in the article here and presentation here
Week 5: Zero Sum Game – We Both Win
Find out more about seeking win-win solutions here
Week 6: Keeping Yourself Safe
It’s very difficult to confidently dealing with Difficult Conversations if we don’t feel safe – here are some thoughts and a presentation here
Week 7: Using Your Body
Our control over our body language is crucial – learn to use your shows to the best effect! The article is here and the presentation here.
Week 8: Separating Positions from Needs and Interests
Understanding that the positions that people bring to an argument, may not be the best place for you to start understanding them, use “respectful inquiry” to help them talk about their unmet needs – here’s the article and here’s the presentation.
Week 9: “Abuse” and Other Labels
My experience is that people often use labels to identify how they feel – this can get in the way of a fruitful conversation. Read the article here and look/listen to the presentation here
Week 10: Learning from This and Other Experiences
It’s great to have a chance to read articles and watch presentations on a subject in which you are interested – but how do you help this to change the way you Hold Difficult Conversations in the future? Read how here.
Thanks everyone – do get in touch if you’d like to find out more