In this post, we’re going to talk about six tips on how to have difficult conversations. This can be with an employee that you may be planning on letting go. Or this may be to a group of people.
Needless to say, this is one of the greatest challenges as a leader, because this may or may not involve decisions where it can alter the future of someone’s life. Since this topic has a lot of gravity, let’s begin.
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Tip No.1
First, you want to survey the situation. What is causing this difficult conversation to happen? Is the company undergoing a financial crisis? for example.
Is there a problem where you may have to let people go? From there, you’ll want to plan out how you’re going to break any bad news to anyone, be it an individual or the entire group of employees.
Tip No.2
Second, it’s important to set a time for it. You want to make sure it happens at a time when you are not disrupting the employee or the group. There are two best times to do this: either at the end of the day or the end of the week.
It’s important not to do it beforehand, because it will likely affect the worker’s productivity. They won’t be able to focus on getting the tasks at hand done. So resist the urge to to say what you have to say right away, and hang on until there is a good opportunity to sit down and have this discussion.
Tip No.3
Third, you need to present the facts. What is warranting this difficult decision? It’s important that you do your homework, get the facts straight, and let the employee or group know.
You don’t want to use any kind of terms that can confuse or easily be misunderstood. You want to make sure you have the data to back up your facts, if necessary. For example, if there is financial trouble, show the charts that prove the data and facts.
Tip No.4
Fourth, it’s important to give your employee or employees the opportunity to speak. Give them their say on the matter. Be sure you are listening, and make sure to repeat what they said if possible, to ensure you understand them correctly.
Take notes, and be sure to ask any additional questions.
Tip No.5
Fifth, you want to document the conversation. Keep a record of what was being said between you and the employees. You want to make sure things are clear and easy to understand. Don’t put yourself in the position of having to try and remember everything.
You can always go back and use the documents to see what was said.
Tip No.6
Finally, make a plan to resolve the conflict. If it’s with one employee, it may be some kind of probationary period because of a rule violation. Or if it involves the entire company, you’ll want to formulate a plan to correct the direction that the company may be going in.
This may include budget cuts, laying people off, and so on. In such a situation, there will be more difficult conversations to come.
With that said, I hope this post has been informative. As a leader, you need to be aware that having difficult conversations will come with the territory. Not only that, but these conversations will lead to actions that may be difficult in themselves.
I can say for certain that you will have many difficult conversations for as long as you are in a leadership position. It’s important to be prepared, remain calm, and make sure that you have the ability to communicate with the others involved.