Blueprint

Difficult Conversations With Employees

If you’re frustrated by difficult people and stressed at the thought of having an awkward, but necessary, “high stakes” conversation …

Use this simple, but powerful, 3-part framework to get people to open up honestly, prevent blow-ups, de-escalate uncomfortable, emotional situations – and get the positive outcome you want.

Inside this Blueprint:

  • What to do before the talk
  • When and where to have the talk
  • What to say, what not to say and how to keep everything legal
  • What to do after the talk to ensure better behavior
  • How to handle difficult conversations with employees, coworkers or superiors

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& Much More …

What Our Customers Say

From bite sized pieces of wisdom to full on training series, I highly recommend Resourceful Manager!
Cindy Saunders, SPHR|GPHR|SHRM-SCP,
Human Resources Business Partner
This is one of the best resources I have had as a people manager and use it frequently. I find good guidance and information to use and share.
Joe Byrne,
Sr. Customer Operations Manager,
Inflight Connectivity
Quick actionable advice backed by research. I also appreciate the common format of the blueprints and depth that is available to make implementation dynamic to my application (I don't feel like I have to change the world at once).
Kenson,
Quality Manager

No one "wants" to have an awkward or difficult conversation with anyone. There's a logical reason for this …

5 irrefutable facts that cause us to avoid difficult conversations:

  1. Difficult conversations never get “easy” because they inherently involve confrontation no matter what the topic.
  2. People’s reactions make difficult conversations unpredictable.
  3. Often high stakes conversations get “sprung” on the manager.
  4. Most difficult conversations are emotional.
  5. Most people have never been coached to have these conversations with the right balance of empathy and assertiveness.

Read #5 again. That fact is the most damaging.

You need a plan, and the right tools and countermeasures to navigate the rocky terrain of difficult conversations in the workplace – and the hidden landmines that lie within.

That's exactly what you get with the ResourcefulManager 3-Part Framework for Conducting Successful Difficult Conversations.

Part 1: Before The Talk

  • The first decision you need to make when you learn of an issue (we tend to go the wrong way on this)
  • The real goal you should have going into every difficult conversation – and how this focus will reduce your anxiety and subconsciously help you maintain your cool during the talk
  • The 5 key elements you need to implant in your mindset to get positive outcomes consistently
  • How to ask for the conversation without “scaring” the employee
  • When to schedule the talk and where to have it

Part 2: During The Talk

  • #1 mistake people make opening the conversation (this bad advice is rampant on the web)
  • The 14-word starter statement to kick off the conversation the right way (doing this sets the appropriate tone)
  • When and why you should create physical space between you and the other participant
  • If you have a reasonable suspicion of THIS do not, I repeat, do not have a one-on-one conversation – do this instead
  • How to use “basic facts” like lawyers do to minimize most disagreements, corroborate stories and navigate “he said, she said” gossip
  • How to tell your side of the story in a way that is accepted and not perceived as a personal attack
  • Why you’re sabotaging your own efforts by skipping this important step in the conversation (most managers avoid it out of fear)
  • Counterintuitive reason you should allow the person to vent uninterrupted – and why it’s necessary to reach a positive resolution that sticks
  • How to find the underlying issue – the catalyst for resolution – hidden in the other person’s story and rants
  • The two outcomes of every difficult conversation … one fails often, the other increases buy-in and makes follow-through much easier
  • Why you should end the conversation like you started

Part 3: After The Talk

  • Should you document every difficult conversation and get the employee to sign it?
  • Follow-up best practices to ensure the action plan you agreed to gets executed and the employee stays motivated
  • How to keep the conversation legal and avoid the most common employment law claim employees file against employers

A misstep at any of those three stages will seriously reduce the chances of arriving at a successful outcome.

Difficult conversations are difficult for a reason. There's a lot at stake and many things can go wrong. To help, you'll also get these two sections in the Blueprint:

  • The 10 thwarting ploys – and how to respond to them
  • 10 mistakes when having a difficult conversation – and how to avoid them

Premium Bonuses

  • 27 Scripts of What To Say In The Toughest Difficult Conversations
  • 25 Things Never to Say During A Difficult Conversation

Armed with this 44-page Blueprint, 3-part framework and practical tools you now have everything you need to navigate the emotional and ominous minefield of difficult conversations with consistently satisfying results for you the other person.

“Must-Be-Resourceful” 90-Day Money Back Guarantee

ResourcefulManager's "Difficult Conversations With Employees" Blueprint comes with an unconditional, 100% money back guarantee.

We're confident you’ll find several new and useful ideas to help you navigate employee terminations, presented in a practical, easy-to-implement format.

In fact, we'll give you a full 90 days to carve out the time in your busy schedule to read the Blueprint, digest the strategies, put the advice into action, and experience the results in your specific situation.

We believe to be a great manager … is to be resourceful. So every piece of content and product we create is designed to make you more knowledgeable, prepared and into. Just for the record, as of this year, we’ve sold 6,200+ ResourcefulManager products and have a refund rate of only 1%.

If you decide "Difficult Conversations With Employees " Blueprint doesn't deliver value or simply isn't your cup of tea, just email us at contact@resourcefulmanager.com within 90 days, and we'll process your complete, no-hassle refund in 1 business day or less.

But I'm confident you won't need to.

To your success,

John Walston

Get the ResourceManager Blueprint

Difficult Conversations With Employees

What You Get

  • 44-page Blueprint with 3-Part Framework
  • Difficult Conversation Checklist – Blueprint Extra
  • 27 Scripts of What To Say In The Toughest Difficult Conversations – $25 value
  • 25 Things Never to Say During A Difficult Conversation – $25 value

Get This Blueprint
& Much More …

What Our Customers Say

From bite sized pieces of wisdom to full on training series, I highly recommend Resourceful Manager!
Cindy Saunders, SPHR|GPHR|SHRM-SCP,
Human Resources Business Partner
This is one of the best resources I have had as a people manager and use it frequently. I find good guidance and information to use and share.
Joe Byrne,
Sr. Customer Operations Manager,
Inflight Connectivity
Quick actionable advice backed by research. I also appreciate the common format of the blueprints and depth that is available to make implementation dynamic to my application (I don't feel like I have to change the world at once).
Kenson,
Quality Manager