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    WebinarRespect 2013 60 min

    Failure to Communicate: How Conversations Go Wrong and What You Can Do to Right Them

    These days, we’re all joint problem-solvers. But we’ve all seen problems that could have—and should have—worked out, but didn’t because conversations about them turned negative or broke down. The original problems were not beyond repair, but the damning judgments, hurt reputations, and broken relationships sometimes have been. In this webinar, Holly will give you a clearer view of what happens in tough conversations. She will give you the skills you need to make your way through them, even when the conversations are unpredictable, big emotions are in play, and your counterpart thinks this is war. This is your best way out of failure-prone conversations with your reputation and relationships intact.

    Presenter

    HW

    Holly Weeks

    • The three biggest problems we face in difficult conversations • Where these conversations go wrong and why • How to deal with a counterpart’s tough tactics • How to overcome our own tactical weaknesses • How to break the grip of emotional reactions • How to move forward through misconceptions, confusion, and deceit

    You will take away effective strategies and tactics for getting through tough conversations without giving up, giving in, or compromising your integrity.

    Key Takeaways

    • 1.Understand the framework explaining why difficult conversations often go wrong.
    • 2.Learn techniques to anticipate and effectively address communication breakdowns.
    • 3.Develop strategies for maintaining composure and managing emotions during high-stakes talks.
    • 4.Acquire methods for navigating unpredictable and emotionally charged conversational dynamics.
    • 5.Preserve your professional reputation and relationships even when navigating conflict.
    • 6.Foster psychological safety by modeling effective communication and depersonalizing conflict.

    The High Cost of Failed Conversations

    In today's workplaces, collaborative problem-solving is essential. However, many promising solutions are derailed not by the complexity of the problem, but by the breakdown of communication. When dialogue about an issue turns negative, it can lead to damning judgments, damaged reputations, and broken professional relationships. Even when the original problem was solvable, the fallout from a failed conversation can be irreparable.

    A Framework for Navigating Difficult Dialogue

    This webinar, led by Holly Weeks, provides a clear view of what happens in tough conversations and offers the skills needed to navigate them successfully. The session presents a practical framework for understanding why these discussions go wrong and provides techniques to anticipate and manage potential breakdowns. The goal is to steer dialogue away from negativity and toward productive, solution-oriented outcomes, even when tensions are high.

    Key Skills for High-Stakes Discussions

    Participants will learn specific strategies for managing the challenges of difficult conversations, including:

    • Emotional Regulation: Maintain composure and manage your own emotions when faced with conflict or a highly emotional counterpart.
    • Strategic Navigation: Effectively guide unpredictable conversations, even when the other party approaches the discussion as a "war."
    • Depersonalizing Conflict: Focus on the underlying issues and shared goals rather than resorting to personal attacks or blame.
    • Preserving Relationships: Exit failure-prone conversations with your professional reputation and relationships intact.

    Leadership, Communication, and Psychological Safety

    For leaders, mastering difficult conversations is critical for building high-performing teams. In high-pressure environments, the ability to communicate effectively builds the trust and psychological safety necessary for collaboration. When leaders model effective communication by listening actively and guiding teams toward shared solutions, they create an environment where differing views can be expressed without fear of recrimination. This transforms potential conflicts into opportunities for team growth, innovation, and stronger problem-solving capabilities.

    Effective communication is fundamental to organizational success, yet conversations often falter, leading to unresolved issues and damaged relationships. This session delves into the dynamics of challenging dialogue, offering practical strategies to steer discussions away from negativity and towards productive outcomes. It emphasizes the importance of communication in joint problem-solving, even when initial problems seem surmountable but actual conversations derail the process.

    What you'll learn

    • A framework for understanding why tough conversations go awry.
    • Techniques to anticipate and address communication breakdowns.
    • Strategies for maintaining composure and managing emotions in high-stakes discussions.
    • Methods to navigate unpredictable conversational dynamics effectively.
    • Skills to preserve your professional reputation and foster constructive relationships, even amidst conflict.

    Who this webinar is for

    This webinar is ideal for:

    • Leaders and managers at all levels responsible for team communication and performance.
    • HR professionals seeking to enhance conflict resolution and communication training.
    • Individuals who frequently engage in complex or sensitive discussions.
    • Anyone looking to improve their ability to facilitate productive outcomes from challenging interactions.
    • Professionals interested in fostering psychological safety within their teams.

    Why it matters now

    In today's interconnected and often high-pressure work environments, the ability to communicate effectively, particularly during difficult moments, is more critical than ever. Organizations rely on collaborative problem-solving, which necessitates robust and resilient communication channels. When conversations devolve into negativity, it not only impedes progress on the immediate issue but also erodes trust and psychological safety, impacting long-term team performance and retention. Mastering these communication skills is essential for leaders to build cohesive, high-performing teams capable of navigating complexity.

    How leaders can apply this

    Leaders can apply the insights from Holly Weeks' approach by proactively preparing for difficult conversations, focusing on the underlying issues rather than personal attacks. They can model effective communication by actively listening, depersonalizing conflict, and guiding discussions toward shared understanding and solutions. By creating an environment where team members feel safe to express differing views without fear of recrimination, leaders can significantly improve team cohesion and problem-solving capabilities. Practicing techniques for emotional regulation and active framing can transform potentially destructive conflicts into opportunities for growth and innovation within the team.

    About this session

    Key takeaways

    Watching this webinar gives you grounded, practical perspective on Psychological Safety. Expect ideas you can use in leadership conversations, not abstract theory, drawn from Holly Weeks's direct experience.

    Who this is for

    CHROs, HR business partners, talent leaders, executive coaches, organizational development practitioners, and senior leaders who are responsible for respect inside their organization.

    Why it matters now

    Workforce expectations, hybrid work patterns, and AI-driven change keep raising the bar on culture and leadership. Sessions like this help leaders make smarter, more evidence-informed decisions about Psychological Safety.

    How to apply it

    Use the ideas here to challenge a current assumption on your team, design a single concrete experiment in the next 30 days, and bring one finding back to your leadership group for discussion.

    Frequently asked questions

    Topics

    Psychological Safety

    Best Practice Institute

    Best Practice Institute is the research organization behind Most Loved Workplace® certification, the SPARK Model, the Love of Workplace Index™ (LOWI™), and The Workplace Report.

    The Workplace Report

    The Workplace Report is BPI's original workplace culture research and editorial briefing series for CEOs, CHROs, people leaders, talent leaders, and employer-brand teams. It turns BPI's 25 years of research, Most Loved Workplace® certification data, SPARK findings, and current workforce signals into practical analysis leaders can use.

    The report format includes executive summaries, research-backed articles, company examples, methodology notes, and practical implications for retention, hiring, culture, leadership, and employee experience. New research and analysis is published on an ongoing editorial cadence at /workplace-report.