Instructions: How to hold a difficult conversation
HAVING DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS
This module should take about an hour. Please follow the directions below and submit the reflection. You will receive one hour of PDP's towards your mentor training.
Introduction to the Module:
We all either engage in, or avoid, difficult conversations each and every day. Whether with colleagues, spouses, or other people we have contact with, certain topics arise that are challenging to discuss. Productive conversations require an effort to implement learned skills to navigate these difficult conversations. “The ability to manage difficult conversations effectively is foundational, then, to achieving almost any significant change” – Doug Stone – Difficult Conversations
Think about this – Do the people in your organization deal with conflicts directly, routinely, and well? Or does the e-mail, Facebook or water cooler chat continue to focus all of the ways the organization is dysfunctional, even as important conversations are avoided? There are specific reasons why this occurs, tools to help navigate your way through these discussions, and suggestions on how to practice improving your effectiveness in this area.
Difficult Conversations:How to Discuss What Really Matters
Watch: Were you aware that there are a lot of complex parts to a difficult conversation Now read the article to look further to get an understanding of the pieces involved.
Video #2: Doug Stone presenting at Belmont University
Article – Read Doug Stone: Handling Difficult Conversations
Questions after reading:
Think about the three types of conversations within a difficult conversation.
1st Conversation – the “What Happened?” conversation
2nd Conversation - The “Feelings” conversation
3rd Conversation – The “Identity “ conversation
Now think about a difficult conversation you have had in the past. Can you identify any of these pieces within that conversation? Without naming names, reflect on one of the three aspects of your difficult conversation and describe your thoughts about that.
This module should take about an hour. Please follow the directions below and submit the reflection. You will receive one hour of PDP's towards your mentor training.
Introduction to the Module:
We all either engage in, or avoid, difficult conversations each and every day. Whether with colleagues, spouses, or other people we have contact with, certain topics arise that are challenging to discuss. Productive conversations require an effort to implement learned skills to navigate these difficult conversations. “The ability to manage difficult conversations effectively is foundational, then, to achieving almost any significant change” – Doug Stone – Difficult Conversations
Think about this – Do the people in your organization deal with conflicts directly, routinely, and well? Or does the e-mail, Facebook or water cooler chat continue to focus all of the ways the organization is dysfunctional, even as important conversations are avoided? There are specific reasons why this occurs, tools to help navigate your way through these discussions, and suggestions on how to practice improving your effectiveness in this area.
Difficult Conversations:How to Discuss What Really Matters
Watch: Were you aware that there are a lot of complex parts to a difficult conversation Now read the article to look further to get an understanding of the pieces involved.
Video #2: Doug Stone presenting at Belmont University
Article – Read Doug Stone: Handling Difficult Conversations
Questions after reading:
Think about the three types of conversations within a difficult conversation.
1st Conversation – the “What Happened?” conversation
2nd Conversation - The “Feelings” conversation
3rd Conversation – The “Identity “ conversation
Now think about a difficult conversation you have had in the past. Can you identify any of these pieces within that conversation? Without naming names, reflect on one of the three aspects of your difficult conversation and describe your thoughts about that.
