Private Professor
Having Difficult Conversations at Work
The Complete Manager's Guide to Performance Talks, Bad News, and Everything You've Been Avoiding
You know you need to have the conversation. You've been putting it off for weeks—maybe months. Every time you think about it, your stomach tightens. You've rehearsed it in the shower, but when the moment comes, you either chicken out or say something that makes it worse. This guide gives you the exact words. Not principles. Not 'be direct.' The actual scripts, sentence by sentence, for the conversations you've been avoiding.
Inside this guide
- Why Difficult Conversations Go Wrong
- The Universal Preparation Framework
- Feedback Frameworks That Actually Work
- Performance Conversations: From Concern to PIP
- Delivering Bad News: Layoffs, Denials, and Cancellations
- The Awkward Behavior Talks: Lateness, Attitude, Hygiene, and Conflict
- Salary Conversations: No, Not Yet, and Managing Expectations
- Handling Pushback and Defensive Reactions