How to have Challenging Conversations, with Melissa Kidd

About the seminar

Whether it’s dealing with a challenging client, boss or team member these crucial conversations have the potential to strengthen or weaken a relationship and need to be handled with skill and care. However many people avoid such conversations for fear of saying the wrong thing, too much or not enough. Yet the issue is rarely resolved by ignoring or inflaming it.

This highly practical workshop focuses on the process, content and emotion of challenging conversations. Drawing on cutting-edge research from the Harvard Negotiation Project, delegates will leave with some practical tools and phrases to handle tough situations, thorny issues and heated moments.

>> Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, participants will be more confident, effective and resilient when having conversations that are challenging; and be able to:

•Clarify what they want to happen as a result of the conversation

•Recognise their own unhelpful stories and thoughts which can exacerbate situation

•Differentiate between a “battle of messages” and a “learning conversation"

•Start awkward conversations and stop procrastinating

•Describe the importance of facts, empathy and questions in holding challenging conversations

•Use an easily-memorable 3 step framework with key phrases

•Manage strong or suppressed emotions both in others and themselves.

•Avoid saying the wrong things

>> More about our speaker:

Melissa specializes in helping insurance professionals to communicate more effectively so that they can strengthen their relationships. She’s worked with the CII since 2012 and her clients include Zurich, Marsh, Lycetts, NIG, FarmWeb, BIBA, HSBC among others.