A short coaching monologue (video transcript) by communication coach Rael offering three practical tips to initiate difficult conversations: (1) state the reason for meeting immediately, (2) provide concrete examples to show patterns, and (3) clarify what you want from the conversation. A brief bonus tip explains how to handle interruptions and a concise recap and sign-off conclude the piece.
Chapters
Okay, here are three tips to initiate a tough conversation. Hopefully these tips help you get organized and reduce the dread around having these hard conversations. First, thank the person for taking the time to talk and get into your reason for meeting immediately. So something like thanks for making the time I wanted to talk about this or thanks for meeting with me. The reason why I called this meeting is because don't beat around the bush. Share the purpose of the meeting or the conversation right away so you can set expectations and move on. Number two, have examples. Examples can help make the invisible visible. They can show a pattern and overall they can help prove your point. Think about these in advance. Save them in your notes. You don't have to show the notes to anyone, but reference them when you need them. They're important. And number three, think about what you want out of this hard conversation. Are you hoping for an apology? Do you want behavior to change? Are you looking to just be heard? Knowing what you want and what your end goal is will help you articulate it easier and again, set the expectations for the conversation and for how to move forward. And finally, a little bonus tip for you. If you get interrupted when you're speaking, you can say, I'd like to finish speaking first and share my thoughts. And then I'd be happy to hear what you have to say. Hopefully you won't need this, but if they keep trying to hijack a conversation or ambush it, you know how to take the reins and regain control. So to recap, three tips for having a hard conversation. Number one, state the reason for meeting right away. Number two, provide tangible examples. Try to show a pattern. Number three, think about and articulate what you want out of the conversation. That third one and the clarity around that is major and will give you such a confidence boost to have this hard conversation. I'm well with Rael, your communication coach, and I'm always in your corner.
