How 'Nice' Leaders can Master Difficult Conversations

8 Days

·

Cohort-based Course

Learn to have powerful career-changing conversations, win more arguments, and resolve conflicts effectively.

Course overview

Communicate effectively in challenging conversations

Great leaders are excellent at navigating difficult conversations. This course will provide the tools you need to master challenging conversations and get the outcomes you want. Think about:


👉 Influencing senior leaders or board members

👉 Delivering bad news or critical feedback to a team member

👉 Resolving instead of tolerating workplace conflict

👉 Creating a win-win outcome in a difficult negotiation


The course packs-in knowledge from the foremost leaders and coaches on this topic, and combines that with hands-on practice and feedback in a risk-free environment for the most impact. You can expect proven, practical techniques and frameworks and lots of reflection and practice to ensure you come out feeling ready and equipped.


By the end of the course, you should have the tools and conviction you need to prepare for a variety of difficult conversations, frame and navigate them effectively, handle defensiveness and blockers, and create outcomes that work for you.

Who is this course for

01

People leaders who want to better navigate disagreements and friction at work.

02

High-performers who want to earn greater influence in their organizations.

03

Leaders who want to be able to deliver tough messages while being kind and respectful.

After this course, you will...

Get out of your own way

You will have looked inward and identified the blockers that are getting in the way of effective conversations. And learnt to set them aside and move forward.

Frame contentious topics effectively

You will practice framing the problem in a neutral and constructive way for the best outcomes. You will know how to get past defensiveness and resistance.

Develop a toolkit to navigate important conversations

You will walk away with techniques to confidently frame, navigate and conclude common situations like critical feedback, conflicts, workplace friction, and tough negotiations.

Create a greater set of possibilities

You will see new possibilities in complex situations, as opposed to seeing them as zero sum games. You will develop tactics to broaden the set of solutions acceptable to all parties.

Refine the necessary interpersonal skills

You will practice and hone your interpersonal skills to enhance empathy, language, listening, and emotional regulation that are important for successful outcomes.

Course syllabus

Week 1

Dec 11—Dec 17

    The External Side of Difficult Conversations

    4 items

    The Internal Side of Difficult Conversations

    2 items

    “One Way” Conversations

    3 items

Week 2

Dec 18

    “Two Way” Conversations

    3 items

Post-course

    Personalized Plan

    1 item

What people are saying

        Working with Prateek has greatly impacted my ability to deliver presentations with confidence and ease. Just this morning my manager reached out to compliment me on the great leaps I have made in speaking to clients!
Stephanie

Stephanie

4G Clinical
        He always finds a way to push my thinking and ask a question I haven't considered. This has helped me make progress toward my stated goals, but also work through challenging situations that have come up along the way.
Jen

Jen

Sr. Director, MongoDB
        He challenged me to think differently. He helped me change my perspective and gave me space to come to new conclusions and awareness.
Rachel

Rachel

Change & Transformation Leader at West Monroe
        He's been able to help me realize I've got the answers myself, deep down, even if I didn't realize it.
Ryan

Ryan

VP at Convoy
        I am now able to navigate through difficult situations with more confidence. Additionally the insights have helped me gain foresight and understand long-term benefits of coping with difficult work situations.
Operations

Operations

Wayfair
        Prateek has equipped me with the essential mental frameworks to approach challenging conversations at work.
Supply Chain

Supply Chain

Wayfair
        I have found the experience to be even more beneficial than I had anticipated.
Ops Leader

Ops Leader

Fortune 500 Company
        Prateek gave insightful and applicable feedback. I really appreciate the depth, detail and the perspective of the feedback he provided.
Executive

Executive

Fortune 500 Company
        Prateek helped me overcome my natural meekness and shine. I would not hesitate to work with Prateek in the future and highly recommend him.
Biotech Project Leader

Biotech Project Leader

        Very sharp and objective on his remarks and reflections.
Technology Leader

Technology Leader

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How 'Nice' Leaders can Master Difficult Conversations

Meet your instructor

Prateek Singhal

Prateek Singhal

Founder, F500 Executive, and Leadership Coach

I am an operations executive and leadership coach with 15 years in leadership roles at startups and large companies like McKinsey, eBay, Allstate and Wayfair. I have coached 100s of leaders at companies like Google, Facebook, Apple, Uber, Amazon as well as several high-growth startups. As an operations leader, I built and led several $200M+ businesses and 100+ person teams. I coach founders, executives and leaders 1:1 on some of their most pressing leadership challenges.


But it wasn't a straight line to get here. I've made every mistake in the book and learnt the hard way. I have been promoted, and denied promotions. I have gone through successful acquisitions, and failed startups. I've also been fortunate to have observed and learned from some of the best in the industry. And I am eager to share those learnings with you.


I have an MBA from Stanford University, an MPA/ID from Harvard University, and a CS undergrad from Indian Institute of Technology. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can find me on LinkedIn here.

Free resource

Feedback Preparation Worksheet

This worksheet will help you prepare for an upcoming conversation where you need to provide someone critical feedback. Feedback isn't only for direct reports. You can use this worksheet to provide feedback to your manager, direct report, or a peer.


Plus, check out a bonus worksheet towards the end.

Download Now

Course schedule

~6 hours over 2 weeks

  • Monday, Dec 11, 2023

    8am - 9:30am US Pacific Time

    11am - 12:30am US Eastern Time

    9:30pm - 11pm India Time


    The External Side

    • Why Conversations Fail
    • Frame the Problem Effectively
    • Build an Alliance
    • Listen Beyond Words
  • Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023

    8am - 9:30am US Pacific Time

    11am - 12:30am US Eastern Time

    9:30pm - 11pm India Time


    The Internal Side:

    • Emotional Regulation
    • Effective Communication Techniques
  • Friday, Dec 15, 2023

    8am - 9:30am US Pacific Time

    11am - 12:30am US Eastern Time

    9:30pm - 11pm India Time


    “One Way” Conversations:

    • Giving Critical Feedback
    • Delivering "Bad" News
    • Receiving "Bad" News
  • Monday, Dec 18, 2023

    8am - 9:30am US Pacific Time

    11am - 12:30am US Eastern Time

    9:30pm - 11pm India Time


    “Two Way” Conversations:

    • Conflict Resolution
    • Negotiations
    • Post-conversation Assessment

Experience, not just learn

Experience, not just learn

Active hands-on learning

Mastery of difficult conversations requires practice, not just theory. This course incorporates live workshops and lots of practice to make sure you internalize what you learn.

Interactive and project-based

This won't just be a series of videos. You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams for maximum impact.

Learn with a cohort of peers

Join and learn from a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How 'Nice' Leaders can Master Difficult Conversations