Difficult conversations: How to prepare yourself (Online Workshop)

Taking on a difficult conversation in working or personal relationships is one of the most challenging things not only to do, but to get right. If we react in the moment, it usually escalates an already fractious relationship. Or the anxiety we feel can be so overwhelming we avoid them, only making things worse. This session provides a simple tool (steppingstones) to help you prepare for a difficult conversation and so maintain your balance at the table in the conversation. The tool can also be used if you are coaching or preparing someone for a difficult conversation, for example, a staff member, or a party in a mediation or negotiation.

with David Bryson
Thursday, 30 July 2026 | 11am – 12:30pm AEST | Online

Difficult conversations: How to prepare yourself and others

  

Join us online and hear from David Bryson on preparing yourself and others for a difficult conversation.

Difficult conversations, whether in the workplace or personal relationships, can be some of the most confronting and complex interactions we face. Reacting impulsively often escalates tension, while avoiding the issue altogether allows problems to fester.

This practical session introduces a simple yet powerful tool- Steppingstones, to help you prepare effectively, stay centered, and communicate with clarity. You’ll walk away with a structured approach to maintain balance and purpose during challenging conversations.

Ideal for HR professionals, workplace mediators, managers, and anyone tasked with navigating sensitive interpersonal dynamics.

Included within the workshop is a steppingstones checklist, a simple and invaluable guide for preparation and managing a difficult conversation at the table.

Session Outline:

The presentation will be by workshop instruction and discussion, video clips of a difficult conversation coaching session (a reconstructed scenario), PowerPoint slides and checklist worksheet.

The presentation scenario is based on a workplace example. Participants will have the opportunity in the session to use the checklist to prepare for a difficult conversation in another setting. 

The session structure and learning outcomes are:

  • Introduction: Understanding why difficult conversations are so difficult
  • Step 1: How to remove the interpretation filter from our view of the other person
  • Step 2: Exploring possible reasons for what has happened or happening
  • Step 3: Generating options for taking on the conversation
  • Step 4: Developing an effective communication plan for “at the table”
  • Step 5: Scaffolding the outcomes so they are durable
  • Step 6: Review and reflection – how to become your own best coach

 Wrap: Questions and Answers

A maximum of 20 attendees are able to participate in this workshop. The trainer and the participants will all be able to see each other and interact online.

About the speaker:

David Bryson 

David Bryson is a former member of NADRAC and an experienced Australian workplace facilitator, mediator, and coach. In 2014 David was awarded a LEADR Award for Significant Contribution to Dispute Resolution in Australia. He is Director of an ADR consultancy and Senior Consultant at Resolve Advisors whose Director Shirli Kirschner co-produced the steppingstones tool
When
30/07/2026 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
AUS Eastern Standard Time
Where
Online

Sign In