The Coaching Accreditation Program provides a comprehensive, in-depth coach training experience for educators, in an engaging and convenient ONLINE format. Join our February 2025 cohort!

Managing Challenging Conversations

As leaders, we all find some conversations more challenging than others and the ability to initiate and manage these conversations is key to effective leadership. This might depend on the topic, who the conversation is with and the context of the conversation.

With an emphasis on managing challenging conversations, this course is designed for leaders and managers who want to enhance their confidence, skills, and understanding to engage in these conversations in ways that maintain high expectations alongside constructive relationships.

Success in managing challenging conversations is based on three broad features:

How we listen and respond;
How we lead and manage the conversation;
How we show up in the conversation

Enquire

Applying & Extending

6 Learning Hours

Enhance your.....

Leadership Observation & Feedback Performance Conversations Constructive Dialogue

Benefits

Lead awareness-raising conversations that support greater responsibility and action
Feel calm and confident in managing challenging conversations
Become more attentive and attuned to others
Be more intentional in how you initiate and manage conversations
Have the conversations that need to be had
Maintain high expectations alongside constructive relationships

This course is for

Price

$490 (+ GST)

This price is for an individual registering on an open-enrolment course.

Savings are available for organisations who wish to run this course for an in-house group.

Please email info@growthcoaching.com.au to request a quote or discuss this further.

About Structure Learning Design Reviews Pricing

About Managing Challenging Conversations

As leaders in the field of coaching in education, we know many of the skills and techniques, and the way of being, associated with coaching can help us to manage these conversations well – what we call ‘bringing a coaching approach’. If we truly want to raise awareness, encourage responsibility and build the capacity of others then a coaching approach to managing challenging conversations is one way to achieve this.

Using a combination of theory, guided reflection, modelling, practice and feedback, you will:

Increase your confidence to engage in challenging conversations
Enhance your skills and the application of frameworks to manage challenging conversations
Gain first-hand experience of taking a ‘coaching approach’ to challenging conversations
Develop a deeper understanding of what makes some conversations challenging or difficult
Build your knowledge of some theories that explain our responses to challenging conversations
Enhance your self-awareness about how you ‘show-up’ and respond in challenging conversations

Structure

What makes (some) conversations challenging?
What are we managing in these conversations?
What are the different factors that influence these conversations?

What are the ‘triggers’ that impact on how we receive and respond to feedback?
How does positional power influence challenging conversations?
What are the key skills that help us to manage challenging conversations with confidence?
What are some steps for success in managing challenging conversations?

Where the more challenging conversations sit on the continuum of conversations in education settings?
How can we better manage challenging conversations?
What are some ‘3^rd points’ in conversations and how can they support feedback and understanding?
How does leader language positively impact conversations?

Learning Design

At GCI, we believe that we act our way into learning rather than learn our way into acting. With this principle in mind, all of our courses have a strong emphasis on practice.

When we are engaged in praxis we are reflecting in action – taking what we are learning and applying it in real-life situations. Our in-person and online courses enable praxis through a ‘coaching approach’ to facilitation combined with a range of thoughtfully designed adult learning experiences including:

individual and group reflection activities
co-operative learning tasks
practice opportunities using real workplace scenarios
modelling
observation and feedback
debrief sessions

The Coaching Approach to Managing Challenging Conversations course is available in a range of delivery patterns:

One full-day (in-person or online)
Three 2-hour workshops spaced over a number of days or weeks (online only)

Our Facilitators

As a coaching organisation, we endeavour to model a ‘coaching way of being’ in our interactions with our clients by being:

Respectful
Humble
Curious
Strengths-focused
Reflective

We encourage a culture of high expectations through our commitment to the ongoing development of our people based on mutual respect and collaboration. Our consultants are expert coach practitioners who draw on a wealth of educational experience to provide the highest level of service as coaches and trainers.

Reviews

Kay Manni
Sydney Catholic Schools, NSW

"The facilitators were clear, knowledgeable and happy to share insights. They were welcoming and made the course today feel as though we as leaders can take this on board and succeed."

Clair-Louise Schofield
HT Wellbeing, Killara High School, NSW

"A highly valuable and practical PL session that I will most definitely put into practice"

Belinda Josiery
Master Teacher, Caningeraba State School, QLD

"The bit of information, then practice/or discuss format worked well – I was always engaged, thinking and reflecting."

Hannah Simmons
Kororoit Creek Primary School, VIC

"I’ve learned to be clear and concise in my messaging when having challenging conversations - I loved how much time we had to reflect on ourselves and our position in conversations."

Pricing

$490 (+ GST)

This price is for an individual registering on an open-enrolment course.

Savings are available for organisations who wish to run this course for an in-house group.

Please email info@growthcoaching.com.au to request a quote or discuss this further.

Register for upcoming Managing Challenging Conversations workshops

Register Your Interest

If you would like to participate in one of our workshops and none of the scheduled dates are suitable, please complete this expression of interest form and a GCI staff member will be in contact with you to discuss suitable options.

2-day workshop

Enquire