Navigating Conflict and Difficult Conversations

On completion, the learner can take a real workplace conflict and navigate it constructively, diagnosing its source and their own style, preparing and opening the conversation without triggering defensiveness, managing emotion and de-escalating, listening to genuine mutual understanding, and reaching a workable resolution that repairs the relationship and is demonstrated through an observed live difficult conversation and an individual defence at a 75% mastery threshold.

1. Analyse a workplace conflict, its type, source and escalation dynamics, and one’s own default conflict-handling mode to judge whether that mode fits the situation
2. Open a difficult conversation that states the issue factually, separates impact from intent, and sets a constructive purpose without triggering defensiveness
3. Apply emotion-regulation and de-escalation techniques during the conversation to manage one’s own reactions, acknowledge the other’s emotions, and maintain psychological safety under pressure
4. Apply empathetic listening and dialogue techniques to surface the other party’s perspective and feelings and reach mutual understanding before proposing solutions
5. Evaluate the options to reach a workable resolution, repair the working relationship, and plan the follow-up that ensures the agreement holds