Difficult Conversations for New Managers

What's inside

1. Level 1: Why We Dodge Hard ConversationsFree
   You'll see why new managers, especially those now managing former peers, put off difficult conversations, and what that delay costs you, your team and the person involved.
2. Level 2: Preparing: Facts, Purpose, Outcome, Time and PlaceFree
   You'll learn a simple way to prepare for any hard conversation by gathering facts, defining your purpose and desired outcome, and picking the right time and setting.
3. Level 3: Opening Without Blame
   You'll practise the first 30 seconds of a hard conversation, getting to the point clearly and calmly without blaming, waffling or ambushing the other person.
4. Level 4: Listening and Asking Good Questions
   You'll build the listening skills that turn a one-way telling-off into a real conversation, using open questions, summarising and staying curious.
5. Level 5: Feedback with SBI: Praise and Correction
   You'll learn the Situation-Behaviour-Impact (SBI) model and similar approaches to give specific feedback, using it for praise as often as for correction.
6. Level 6: Underperformance and Clear Expectations
   You'll work through an informal conversation about underperformance, finding the root cause and agreeing clear, measurable expectations and support.
7. Level 7: Lateness, Attitude and Behaviour
   You'll tackle conduct issues like repeated lateness, negative attitude and unprofessional behaviour by naming specific, observable actions instead of vague complaints.
8. Level 8: Conflict Between Team Members
   You'll learn how to step in when two colleagues clash, hearing each side separately and then helping them agree a way of working together.
9. Level 9: Saying No to Requests
   You'll practise turning down requests, such as leave, projects or resources, clearly and kindly, explaining your reasons and offering alternatives where you can.
10. Level 10: Pay and Promotion Disappointments
    You'll handle the conversation when someone misses out on a pay rise or promotion, being honest about the decision and constructive about what comes next.
11. Level 11: Personal and Health Matters with Care
    You'll learn to approach sensitive personal and health matters with compassion and discretion, focusing on support rather than prying.
12. Level 12: Delivering Bad News and Change
    You'll practise delivering unwelcome news and organisational change clearly and humanely, then helping people take it in and ask questions.
13. Level 13: Remote and Video Conversations
    You'll adapt your difficult-conversation skills for video and phone calls, where body language is harder to read and privacy is harder to guarantee.
14. Level 14: Emotions, Tears and Anger
    You'll learn to stay calm and steady when a conversation becomes emotional, whether someone cries, gets angry or shuts down.
15. Level 15: Following Up and Writing It Down
    You'll learn how to follow up after a hard conversation and keep accurate, factual, proportionate notes that protect everyone involved.
16. Level 16: Involving HR and What Not to Promise
    You'll learn when and how to bring in HR, why formal processes and UK employment law matter, and which promises a manager must never make (general guidance, not legal advice; the law differs outside the UK).
17. Level 17: Final Challenge: The Whole Conversation Exam
    You'll bring everything together in a multi-stage scenario challenge, going from preparation to follow-up, emotions and the decision about whether to involve HR.

Access

The first 2 levels are free with a free account. Every level, the podcast edition and the AI tutor come with All Access at £4.99/month or any Creator plan — see pricing.

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