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Booking Conditions
No applications for this program will be accepted after all vacancies have been filled. Unsuccessful applicants will have their monies refunded in full. Cancellation prior to two weeks before the program date (cut-off date) will incur a 15% service charge per applicant. This program will be payable in full for cancellations made on or after the cut-off date or for failure to attend the program. All cancellations must be in writing and emailed to us. In the event of insufficient applications this program will not proceed and registration monies be fully refunded. In the event of this program being cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances registration monies only will be refunded as Critical Agendas will not accept liability for the payment of any other associated costs. Critical Agendas reserves the right to vary the advertised programs prior to commencement. Please note Critical Agendas reserves the right to transfer participants from face to face to webinar format with price adjustments (if required), should minimum numbers not be met for face to face event
Managing Difficult Conversations – How to discuss what matters!
Difficult conversations are an unavoidable part of school leadership. Whether the issue involves a staff member’s performance, a distressed parent, a resistant colleague or a student whose behaviour is escalating, leaders need to respond with clarity, confidence and care.
Yet many difficult conversations are delayed or avoided because they feel confronting, awkward or emotionally charged. When important issues remain unaddressed, misunderstandings grow, relationships deteriorate, and concerns about behaviour or performance become more difficult to resolve.
This practical seminar will equip school leaders and coordinators with structured approaches for addressing difficult issues early, managing strong emotions and keeping conversations focused on constructive action. Participants will examine realistic school-based scenarios, rehearse useful language and apply practical frameworks they can use immediately.
This Seminar will focus on:
- recognising high-conflict behaviours and understanding how organisational conditions can intensify conflict
- defining conflict and examining the different ways people respond when conversations become difficult
- using the L.E.A.P. approach to listen, build understanding and move towards collaborative problem-solving
- applying a practical four-step framework to plan and conduct difficult conversations
- responding effectively to defensiveness, resistance, blame and heightened emotion
- managing performance concerns through a clear and systematic ten-step approach
- maintaining professional boundaries while protecting dignity and relationships
- documenting concerns, agreements and next steps appropriately
- knowing when a conversation has reached its limits and further action or support is required.
Practical and immediately useful
Throughout the Seminar, participants will work with scenarios involving teachers, parents and students. They will develop conversation plans, practise language for challenging moments and receive tools to support preparation, delivery, documentation and follow-up.
Participants will leave with:
- a difficult-conversation preparation tool
- practical scripts and sentence stems
- the L.E.A.P. problem-solving framework
- a four-step conversation planner
- strategies for de-escalating emotionally charged interactions
- a ten-step performance-management guide
- greater confidence to discuss what matters—clearly, respectfully and constructively.
Effective school leadership does not mean avoiding discomfort. It means having the courage, skill and structure to address important issues before they become entrenched.
