Management and Leadership

Mastering Critical Conversations

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• Traditional Classroom: ½-day
• Virtual Instructor-led: One 3-hour session or Two 90-minute sessions

As we become more comfortable working in virtual environments, we now need to make sure we are adapting our interactions for the challenges that virtual platforms and distance work can bring. This course tackles a challenge both in virtual and face-to-face interactions: difficult conversations. We’ll look at ways to build confidence and capabilities with regard to having successful “challenging” conversations at work. The skills learned and practiced in this course can be applied in person as well as virtually to successfully navigate sensitive situations and critical communications in the workplace.

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Target Audience

This course is designed for anyone at any level who wants to build both confidence and skills to successfully engage in critical conversations at work.

Learning Objectives

• List key skills for navigating critical conversations.
• Explain how one’s mindset going into a critical conversation can impact its outcome.
• Practice active listening techniques in a real-life scenario.
• Distinguish between functional and dysfunctional conflict.
• Leverage various techniques to re-establish emotional equilibrium.
• Utilize a five-step model to navigate a critical conversation.

Course Outline

Introduction

• Introductions, Objectives, and Opening Activities

What Makes a Conversation “Critical”?

• Definition of a Critical Conversation
• Crucial Conversations
• Key Skills for Navigating Critical Conversations
• Five-Step Model for Conducting Critical Conversations
  • Outcome
  • Intention
  • Facts
  • Perspective
  • Solution

Productive Conversation Mindset

• Activity: Identify a Critical Conversation

The Importance of Asking and Listening

• Closed vs. Open Questions
• Active Listening Techniques
• Activity: Listening Actively

Conflict Basics

• Functional and Dysfunctional Conflict
• Responses to Conflict: Silence to “Violence” Spectrum
• Activity: Emotional Response Spectrogram
• Techniques for Getting to Neutral

Challenging Conversation Role-Play

• Review the Five-Step Model
• Activity: Revisit Your Individual Challenging Conversation
• Paired Activity: Critical Conversation Role-Play

Summary and Next Steps

MDV4008b-3 Course Code