Making the Most of a Challenging Conversation with Colleagues/Employees at Work

The key is to encourage open communication in your workplace and allow difficult conversations to happen. Everyone simply needs to feel heard and understood for extraordinary growth to happen

Some tips and techniques include:

Make every effort to be as compassionate and empathetic as possible.
Give the employee/colleague what they need not what you need and want.
Try to match their mood and allow them to feel cared for.
Give the employee/colleague the amount of time they deserve to describe the situation.
Reflect back on what you heard.

Importantly make sure to question what they want from the conversation and set reasonable expectations. Respond by letting them know you appreciate them sharing this challenge with you and that you will do what you can to rectify the situation that is troubling them. Commit to a follow-up discussion and stick to it.