Managing Difficult Conversations

The Georgia Center for Nonprofits is offering “Managing Difficult Conversations”:

“Overview

We have so many interactions every day, it is reasonable to expect that some of them will be difficult. Whether these conversations take place in person, by phone, or virtually by email or online-collaboration tools, you can design the interaction to go smoothly, minimizing disruption and overt conflict. In this course, you will learn tools to manage difficult conversations and get the best results possible out of them.

This course will include role-playing difficult conversations in a safe, supportive atmosphere with an experienced coach.

Key Concepts

• Good communication skills
• Defining frames of reference
• Choosing to have the conversation, and being intentional in the time and place
• Toolkit for successful conversations
• Establishing a positive intent and a desired outcome
• Specific steps to carry out a difficult conversation
• Maintaining safety in a conversation

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Give examples of good communication skills.
• Identify the appropriate time and place to have a difficult conversation.
• Draft a script for a difficult conversation.

Audience

Whether managing down, across, or up in your organization, this course is designed for any nonprofit professional. Supervisors of teams and individuals in HR or HR-like roles may find particular value.”