How To: Have a Difficult Conversation at Work

Difficult conversations are those exchanges that you don’t want to have. They normally entail the potential for conflicting views, damaged relationships and uncertain outcomes. And all this is alongside a corrosive anxiety over what and how to make your points.

Like people, these conversations come in all shapes and sizes. Unless considered and conducted carefully, the outcome can take a variety of unexpected and unwelcome forms. But as the actress Gwyneth Paltrow correctly points out: ‘you’re not learning anything unless you’re having difficult conversations’!

To get the best outcome from these tricky exchanges, you need to manage your emotions and information in a sensitive and