Workshops
Succeeding at Difficult Conversations
We all face having challenging conversations that make us feel anxious and uncomfortable. Imagine having to: deliver bad news; express disagreement with a difficult person; confront offensive or disrespectful behaviour; deliver a negative performance review; or say no to a client, boss; colleague or relative. Yet our ability to handle these conversations well is one of the most important competencies we need to be effective and to build trust and respect in our organizations and homes.
Dealing with Difficult People
Many of us feel overwhelmed when we think about dealing with difficult people. Difficult people are sometimes those with whom we work who we find intimidating or rude. Difficult people are those we have trouble holding accountable to do what they say they are going to do. Difficult people are those who exhibit strong emotions such as anger, frustration and tears. Our ability to handle these people productively is essential to being effective and to protect our emotional well being.
In this workshop, you will learn practical skills to prepare for conversations with difficult people and how to diffuse strong emotions. You will learn how to influence others and how to influence yourself to get the results you want.
Tips & Tricks: Succeeding at Difficult Conversations
Diane has designed programs ranging from 1.5 to 3.5 hours to meet your organization’s needs. These sessions cover some of the key tips & tricks for handling Challenging Conversations. The Tips & Tricks programs are ideally suited for a conference session, a lunch and learn or a corporate retreat.
Custom Workshops
Diane offers customized workshops to improve your company’s health and enrich your leadership skills in the areas of:
- Challenging Conversations
- Dealing with Difficult People
- How to say "No" and still get what you want and need
- I'm Right, You're Wrong or is there Another Perspective?
- NEW! - "ConversationSports"
Workshop Comments...
"One of the most useful and pertinent workshops I ever attended. Diane was a great facilitator: humourous, concise, lots of personal anecdotes. She involved everyone in the practices and provided excellent material to take home. NIEFS would have no hesitation in having Diane return for future training."
"Diane delivered Succeeding at Challenging Conversations as part of BC HRMA’s professional development program. Her evaluation results were extremely positive. Attendees reported that they enjoyed Diane’s dynamic and engaging style, and the ability to apply their learnings immediately in the workplace and beyond."
"Session provided a great framework and practical strategies for preparing for and having important conversations. A very helpful day that has given me greater confidence and commitment to proceed."
"I attended Succeeding at Challenging Conversations recently and found that Diane is a fabulous facilitator. She gets the trust of the audience quickly and is able to read the room. I use many of the skills she coached everyday"
About Diane A. Ross
Diane is a professional speaker, author, facilitator and executive coach. Diane is a graduate of Business (Honours) and Law (UBC) with 14 years’ experience in litigation; she is a Certified Executive Coach (Royal Roads) and has trained at Harvard Law School's Program of Instruction for Lawyers in Advanced Negotiations: Managing Difficult Conversations and Mediation. She is currently a non-practicing lawyer working on her first book.
Professional Fees
We will work with you to tailor the length of the workshop, the materials provided and the travel required. To learn more about the fees, please visit the Fees page.
For Organizations