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Difficult conversations training for managers and leaders
Equip your teams with the skills, techniques, and confidence needed to lead meetings that get results
Difficult conversations training for managers and leaders
This fully tailored, full-day training programme gives your managers the frameworks, the language and the practical confidence to approach difficult conversations clearly, constructively and without delay.
Faye, our Further expert, is one of the UK's most experienced trainers in compassionate leadership and communication, with a background that spans executive coaching, NHS leadership development and organisational change.
THE COST OF AVOIDANCE
Most managers know which conversations they need to have. They are just not having them.
Performance that is quietly slipping. Tension between two team members that everyone can feel. Feedback that has been softened so many times it has lost its meaning entirely. The conversations that matter most are, too often, the ones that get pushed to the bottom of the list.
The reasons are understandable. The pace of work, the presence of others, the pressure to keep things moving and the very human discomfort of saying something that might be hard to hear: all of these make it easier to wait, to soften, to avoid. And the longer a difficult conversation is delayed, the harder it becomes, and the greater its impact on the person, the team and the wider culture.
This training addresses that gap not by making difficult conversations easy (they rarely are), but by giving managers the tools, the structures and the genuine confidence to approach them with care and clarity, and to see them through to a positive outcome.
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EXPERTS
Who delivers the Handling Difficult Conversations training at Further?
Faye is a hugely experienced learning and development professional with an incredible talent for compassionate leadership and communication.
Her experience and focus makes Faye the perfect person to lead and deliver our 1-2-1 communications training.
THE PROGRAMME
A full day of practical training: here is what it covers
The day runs for approximately six hours and is structured as a progressive learning journey, moving from mindset and preparation through to live practice. The emphasis throughout is on application: participants work through real scenarios, practise the conversations they find hardest and leave with practical tools they can use straight away.
1. Mindset and preparation
The day begins with the most important question: why do difficult conversations feel so hard? Participants explore the emotional weight we attach to these situations, how to check in with their own intentions before they say a word, and why clarity of purpose is the foundation of every effective difficult conversation.
2. A structure that works
Participants learn a simple, repeatable framework for approaching any difficult conversation, whether that is a performance issue, a restructure conversation or a clash between team members. The framework keeps discussions constructive, ensures the right message is delivered clearly and gives managers something to return to whenever a challenging situation arises.
3. Active listening and skilled questioning
Effective difficult conversations are not just about what you say. Participants learn how to apply the 70:30 rule (listening for 70% of the time and speaking for 30%) and practise the questioning and listening techniques that reduce tension, surface the real issue and create the conditions for genuine problem-solving.
4. Delivering honest feedback
Managers learn how to deliver feedback that is clear, constructive and direct without damaging the relationship. This module covers how to make feedback specific and actionable, how to separate the behaviour from the person and how to ensure the conversation ends with a shared understanding and agreed next steps.
5. Managing emotions under pressure
Some conversations become heated. This module gives participants practical techniques for managing their own emotional responses, maintaining composure when a conversation escalates and reading non-verbal cues to adapt their approach in real time.
6. Live practice scenarios
The day includes participants working through difficult conversation scenarios based on the real situations they face in their roles. Each scenario is followed by expert feedback from Faye and structured group reflection. Participants leave having practised the conversations they most needed to have, with a clear personal action plan for applying their new skills.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
What your managers will be able to do after this training
By the end of the day, every participant will have the knowledge, the frameworks and the hands-on practice to apply these skills in the conversations they face at work.
- Bring a compassionate, collaborative mindset to every challenging conversation, however high the stakes
- Prepare for and initiate difficult conversations with genuine clarity and confidence rather than putting them off
- Use a simple, repeatable structure to keep conversations constructive and focused on a positive outcome
- Apply active listening and skilled questioning to reduce tension, build understanding and encourage open dialogue
- Deliver clear, honest feedback in a way that supports growth and preserves the working relationship
- Manage their own emotions and maintain composure under pressure, even when a conversation becomes heated
- Read and respond to body language and non-verbal cues to adapt their approach in real time
- Find common ground and reach a positive outcome even in genuinely challenging situations
- Agree clear follow-up actions and next steps so that conversations lead to lasting, measurable change
IS THIS TRAINING RIGHT FOR YOUR TEAM?
This training works particularly well when...
Further's difficult conversations training is a strong fit for organisations where one or more of the following is true.
- Your managers know which conversations they need to have but keep finding reasons to put them off.
- Performance issues are being managed informally or not at all because people do not feel confident raising them directly.
- Feedback in your organisation is consistently too vague, too softened or too infrequent to drive real improvement.
- There is unresolved tension within teams that is quietly affecting morale, collaboration and output.
- Your managers are technically strong but find the people side of leadership genuinely challenging.
- You want to build a culture where honest, caring conversations happen regularly rather than only when things have already gone wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about difficult conversations training from Further.
GOING FURTHER
What additional support will your people receive?
Following the training, all participants will receive follow-up notes and feedback, a personal online coaching session and access to our full library of communication skills resources.
This additional support is all focused on ensuring that the new skills that your team discover during the training are successfully applied in practice within their roles.
RESULTS
How is the success of the training measured?
We measure the confidence and competence of all learners before, during and after the training session.
The results are recorded, analysed and presented to you in an easy-to-read report.
Our goal is to ensure that all of the training that we deliver is as effective as possible and that you can clearly demonstrate the impact that your learning and development budget has achieved.
GET IN TOUCH
Ready to give your managers the skills to have the conversations that matter?
Get in touch for an initial conversation. There is no obligation and no sales pitch, just an honest discussion about the challenges your managers are facing and whether this training is the right fit. We will be straightforward with you about what to expect, what the process involves and what it is likely to cost.
