Module at a glance
Welcome to the module on Navigating difficult conversations! In this module, you will learn to better navigate difficult conversations at school, in your personal life, and at work, including negotiating skills.
The intended learning outcomes
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- 1a Prepare for a conversation by self-assessing:1
- Identify potential barriers and elements that can affect the conversation, and practicing empathy.
- Practice empathy.
- Identify your assumptions about the situation.
- 2 Plan for the conversation.
- 3 Engage in a conversation by starting with safety and mutual respect (and re-establishing it at any point):
- Describe the gap/issue, gathering information.
- Move through the conversation by exploring options (and using negotiation strategies), staying flexible, assuming the best in the other person(s), and taking breaks as necessary.
- Decide on a path forward.
- 4 Take steps after the conversation for a continued strengthening of the relationship.
- 5 Successfully navigate negotiations (e.g., with a job offer).
The module’s structure
Navigating difficult conversations road map
The strategy process
Strategy (Long-term)
Planned strategy
Cascading goals and continuous alignment
Strategic Plans (Midterm)
Emergent strategy
Calibration and continuous learning
Operational Plans (Short-term)
| Understanding your role | Planning for the conversation | Engaging in the conversation | After the conversation | Navigating negotiations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Implicit biases | Start with safety | Managing emotions | Understanding elements of negotiations | |
| Barriers to constructive conversations | Planning template | Describe the gap | Options for next steps | Approaching to negotiation |
| Vulnerability | Interests | Gather information | Interest-based negotiation | |
| Listening skills | Moving through the conversation | Preparation | ||
| When things go wrong | Strategies during negotiations |
Feeling safe as you work through the module
This module touches some challenging topics and it’s important that you find the balance between challenging yourself (appropriate discomfort) and feeling safe and confident. That might mean that you pause or advocate for what you need during the course. As you work through the module, we have several case studies you can work on, or you can create your own.
We are learning too! We bring diverse expertise, and we are always learning. If something is wrong, or you have new ideas, please let us know. We can only make changes if we hear about issues and suggestions.
If you have any suggestions for this module, you can share your thoughts here:
You can also contact us at HQPteam2023@gmail.com to share your thoughts at any point in the course!
Learning activity: Goal-setting
Intention: Reinforce a skill from the introductory section: SMART goal-setting.
As you think about your own current abilities and needs with respect to navigating difficult conversations, go to your Workbook and set several SMART goals for this module, then click on the checkbox.