Navigating Difficult Conversations - A Repeatable Framework

A practical workplace communication workshop for HR professionals, People & Culture teams, business owners, managers and people leaders. Format: In-person (Sydney) and live online.

Workshop Overview

This professional development workshop supports HR professionals, People & Culture teams, business owners, managers and people leaders to strengthen how they approach difficult workplace conversations using a clear, repeatable framework.

The workshop introduces a structured method for preparing, conducting and reflecting on difficult conversations at work. The framework can be applied across a wide range of workplace situations and refined over time as participants build experience and confidence.

Rather than relying on instinct, personality or a single communication technique, the framework provides a consistent foundation that can be adapted to different people, roles and contexts. This reduces inconsistency and uncertainty while supporting effective communication and psychosocial safety in the workplace.

Participants explore why similar workplace issues can result in very different outcomes depending on how conversations are approached. Through facilitated discussion and real-world examples, the workshop examines what has been shown to work in practice and where conversations can unintentionally escalate.

During the workshop, participants apply the framework to a real difficult conversation they are preparing for, or reflect on a conversation that has already occurred. While the focus is on workplace situations, the framework is transferable and may also be applied to other high-stakes conversations where clarity, respect and accountability matter.

The emphasis throughout is on building practical communication capability, equipping participants with an approach they can adapt to their own style and draw on when managing people or supporting others through challenging conversations. This approach is particularly valuable for HR resources and in workplaces without a dedicated HR function, where managers and business owners are often required to navigate difficult conversations alongside other responsibilities.

Who Should Attend:

This workshop is suitable for people who regularly need to navigate difficult workplace conversations, including:

HR Managers and Senior HR Advisors
People & Culture Leaders and HR Business Partners
Business owners and SME leaders
Managers and supervisors with people responsibility
Team leaders and emerging leaders
Workplace relations and employee relations practitioners
WHS and psychosocial risk stakeholders

In addition to HR, the workshop is designed for people who manage workplace issues as part of their role, including business owners and managers who are balancing HR responsibilities alongside their core work. No formal HR background is required.

CPD Information

3.0 structured learning hours

Suggested competency areas this workshop supports:

Effective workplace communication and feedback
Managing difficult conversations and conflict
Coaching and supporting managers and people leaders
Psychosocial safety awareness and risk reduction
Structured approaches to people management conversations

Certificate:

Participants receive a Certificate of Completion upon attending the full workshop.

The content is designed to support continuing professional development for HR and People & Culture practitioners, and may be used to record CPD hours with relevant professional associations, subject to individual requirements. Participants are responsible for confirming applicability to their own CPD obligations

Learning Outcomes:

Participants will be able to:

Understand the relationship between difficult conversations and change, including how conversations form part of broader workplace change processes.
Identify when a conversation is a difficult conversation, including recognising common challenges that arise in people management discussions.
Understand why preparation and strategy matter when approaching difficult workplace conversations.
Apply a repeatable, step-by-step framework to prepare for difficult conversations in a structured and consistent way.
Approach difficult conversations with greater confidence and clarity, supporting fairness, consistency and appropriate documentation discipline.
Identify considerations relating to the pros and cons of having a difficult conversation, including whether and when a conversation should occur.
Identify factors that can influence how a difficult conversation unfolds, including context, timing and roles.
Understand how triggers and escalation risks can affect workplace conversations.
Apply the repeatable framework to prepare for a real difficult workplace conversation.

What You'll Take Away:

Participants will take away:

1.A practical, repeatable framework for difficult workplace conversations

2.Greater awareness of triggers and escalation risks

3.Clear guidance on how to prepare for difficult conversations

4.Increased confidence when addressing sensitive issues

5.Greater clarity about whether and when to have a difficult conversation

How This Workshop Supports Psychosocial Safety:

Psychosocial safety obligations increasingly require organisations to identify and address people-related risks early.

Difficult conversations that are avoided, delayed or mishandled can contribute to stress, conflict and escalation. By strengthening how conversations are prepared for and conducted, this workshop supports better outcomes for individuals and teams.

Building effective communication capability across HR, managers and business leaders helps reduce the likelihood of escalation and associated psychosocial risk.

Workshop Format & Inclusions

3-hour facilitated workshop, delivered in person or live online
Facilitated discussions and guided exercises using real workplace examples
No forced role-play
Time allocated for questions and discussion
Morning tea included for in-person workshops

Applicable Workplace Contexts:

Early interpersonal conflict or tension
Performance, behaviour and feedback conversations
Informal complaints or low-level workplace friction
Conversations following organisational change
Customer or stakeholder complaints affecting staff
Boundary-setting and difficult feedback
Preparation for sensitive conversations, including performance management or termination