Having Difficult Conversations

Scope

Covers

• Planning and delivering clear, respectful, direct conversations about performance, behavior, expectations, and decisions
• Turning “insight about feedback” into concrete artifacts: brief → talk track → reactions plan → follow-up
• Using Radical Candor as a default stance: care personally + challenge directly
• Preserving dignity in high-stakes moments (especially layoffs/terminations): private, human, and unambiguous
• Separating feelings from attributions so feedback stays specific and actionable

When to use

• “Help me prepare a difficult conversation with my direct report / peer.”
• “Write a talk track for performance feedback (with specific examples).”
• “I need to deny a promotion—help me be direct and still leave hope + a path.”
• “Prepare a layoff/termination conversation talk track (I have HR involved).”
• “Draft a follow-up message after a hard conversation that documents next steps.”

When NOT to use