This comprehensive one-day workshop equips managers with the resilience, evidence-based frameworks, and practical skills to navigate challenging workplace discussions effectively. Participants will move from understanding the neuroscience of stressful interactions to mastering a four-stage feedback technique, while learning to adapt their approach to specific personality types and UK legal contexts.
Are you avoiding the difficult conversations that your team needs? Or naturally occur when managing people? Silence costs money, damages culture, and risks legal trouble. Stop fearing the moment. Our one-day workshop builds the resilience you need to handle high-stress interactions with confidence. You will learn to master your own stress response, deliver clear feedback without triggering defensiveness, and turn conflict into progress. This is not just theory. It is practical skill building for real-world results. Choose from our open courses, closed group sessions, or one-to-one coaching to suit your schedule. You will also earn six CPD hours towards your professional development. Take control of your leadership today. To find out more, contact us at lets talk at e q v dot co dot uk.
Counts towards 6 CPD Hours1 Day9:00 - 5:00 for GroupsOpen Public & Closed Group
Please reflect on one or more of the questions below and come prepared to discuss your responses during the session.
Self-Assessment: On a scale of 1–10, how would you rate your current skill level in this subject? What factors influenced your rating?
Development Focus: Identify one specific behaviour, skill, or capability you would like to improve or develop further.
Relevant Examples: If possible, bring one or two relevant examples or scenarios from your experience that you would be willing to share with the group.
What You Will Learn
Define what constitutes a difficult conversation and identify the psychological barriers that prevent managers from initiating them
Analyse the financial, cultural, and legal consequences of avoiding conflict versus dealing with it inappropriately
Apply neuroscience-based resilience techniques to manage the physiological 'fight or flight' response during high-stress interactions
Utilise the four-stage feedback technique to deliver clear, factual, and impactful messages without triggering defensiveness
Demonstrate active listening skills to ensure the message is heard, understood, and acted upon by the recipient
Adapt communication strategies to handle specific difficult personality types, including the Aggressor and the Stonewaller
Understand the legal and procedural requirements for documenting difficult conversations within the UK employment framework
Prepare a structured plan for an upcoming difficult conversation using proven preparation and rehearsal strategies
Your Post-Course Challenge
Identify one difficult conversation you have been avoiding in the next 7 days
Apply the Four-Stage Feedback Technique to prepare and deliver the message
Reflect on the outcome and how the structure helped you manage the interaction
Counts Towards 6 CPD Hours
This course contributes 6 hours of Continuing Professional Development. Delegates can log these hours as evidence of structured learning for professional bodies and employers.
This workshop is designed for professionals who recognise the importance of addressing workplace challenges directly rather than avoiding them. It is specifically tailored for those who wish to transform anxiety around conflict into a structured, confident approach that protects both their team and their organisation.
This course is ideal for:
Emerging managers who need to build the confidence to address performance issues early
Senior team leaders seeking to refine their approach to delivering constructive feedback
HR professionals who require a robust framework for guiding line managers through disciplinary matters
Project managers facing complex interpersonal dynamics within cross-functional teams
Business owners responsible for maintaining a positive culture while managing underperformance
Supervisors who want to ensure their communication aligns with UK employment law and best practices
No prior experience needed
Whether you are stepping into a management role for the first time or have years of leadership experience, this course is accessible to all levels. We focus on universal principles of human interaction and stress management, ensuring that every delegate can immediately apply these concepts regardless of their current skill level.
What you will take away
Delegates will leave with a renewed sense of confidence and a practical toolkit for navigating high-stakes discussions without triggering defensiveness. You will possess a clear, actionable strategy for preparing for and conducting difficult conversations, ensuring that outcomes are fair, legally sound, and constructive for all parties involved.
For Groups & Teams
We can deliver this training session in several ways to suit your organisation’s needs:
Open Public Course
Join delegates from other organisations on a scheduled date
Closed Group
Exclusively for your team, using your real scenarios
In Person
Face-to-face at your premises or a venue of your choice
Virtual
Live, interactive online delivery via Teams or Zoom
One-to-One Coaching
Personalised sessions tailored entirely to you
Have two or more people to train?
You may want to consider a closed group course. Benefits include:
Cost effective for teams
Choose a date to suit you
Customise content and timings
No minimum delegate numbers
Uses your real-world scenarios
Builds shared language in your team
Contact us on [email protected] to discuss specific dates and delivery requirements.
How Our Tutor-Led Courses Are Delivered
Before the day
Delegates are given pre-work to complete before attending. This ensures everyone arrives with relevant context and real scenarios from their own experience, so learning is immediately relevant and actionable from the first minute.
On the day
Our sessions are participative and highly interactive. We don’t do “death by PowerPoint” — instead, the day includes a variety of engaging activities throughout:
Real-world casework using your scenarios
Practical hands-on exercises
Real Play (not role play) simulations
Peer learning and group discussion
Case studies and scenario work
Facilitated discussion and structured reflection
What you leave with
Participants leave with:
Practical tools — frameworks and models you can use straight away
Clear action plans — specific next steps tailored to your role
Greater confidence — built through intensive, realistic practice
Skills you can apply immediately — not theory, but techniques tested during the day
After the day
Post-session measurements and a 30-day challenge ensure that learning is embedded and behaviour change is sustained.
Key Features
Course Duration is 1 Day
Engaging tutor led event
Comprehensive course materials
Certificates of attendance
Access to Customer Portal (course bookers)
Course Guarantee
Priced per delegate per day for open public course
£449.00 Plus VAT
Can’t see a suitable date? Please request a date here
Payment available via all major credit cards or Invoice. All options available during the online booking process.
