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Navigating Difficult Conversations

To be able to engage in dialogue on sensitive topics in a way that is grounded, confident, compassionate and professional requires intentionality and practice.

Program Overview:

In this program, leaders will explore IE's model for difficult conversations and strengthen their communication skills in order to successfully navigate sensitive topics in a way that is grounded in their values. We’ll dive into this topic the best way we know how; through reflection, practice, feedback and more practice.

The primary goal for this session is to build essential leadership and communications skills that will help you successfully navigate difficult conversations with the stakeholders in your school, organization, or community.

Plan This Program

Core Objectives:

  • Explore a new leadership communication model for approaching difficult conversations.

  • Learn key principles to enhance your leadership presence within the context of intense situations.

  • Identify specific strategies to navigate difficult conversations in various contexts.

  • Practice engaging in a difficult conversation with a partner.

  • Introduction to PRES for Difficult Conversations

    • Presence and Courage: Learning and Practice

    • Reaching Out and Curiosity: Learning and Practice

    • Expressiveness, Precision and Care: Learning and Practice

    • Self-knowledge and Acting in Good Conscience: Learning and Practice

    Skills Application

    • Discussion, Role Play, Feedback and Coaching

    • Group Size: Small (Max 10) or Large (Max 40 in person, Max 25 virtually)

    • Duration: 4 hours (presented as a half day program, both in person and virtually)

  • Any role facing high-stakes conversations with staff, colleagues, families, funders, or students

optional Program variation

This program can be modified to explicitly focus on how these concepts and skills apply to coaching relationships, in our program variation Navigating Difficult Conversations for Coaches.

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What Past Participants Are Saying:

  • “This program really gave us the opportunity through the role-play exercises to experience real-life scenarios that we may come across as leaders, and gave us tools/skills to approach these scenarios confidently and effectively.”

  • “This session is engaging and affirming. I walked away with new tools and names for tools I didn't realize I already use. Even though I started out nervous, it was so helpful to practice and get feedback. My facilitator made the moments of nervousness seem so small. By the time I finished talking, I forgot how nervous I was.”

  • “I appreciated learning how to address someone in a clear and objective way while reaching a solution that would benefit everyone. We learned strategies that I can truly implement in a variety of circumstances (professionally & personally).”

  • “Learning how to navigate difficult conversations is priceless. I appreciated the concrete structure on how to approach them. It was also helpful to use this time to identify my triggers in a safe space and explore ways to push past them.”

  • “I’d recommend this program to help other educators (or anyone) navigate through difficult situations and approach sensitive conversations strategically and compassionately. Great tools to add to our toolbox!”