SAMPLE Train Managers to Handle Difficult Conversations Get managers to stop avoiding freezing or giving in when the going gets tough. McLean & Company is a research and advisory firm providing practical solutions to human resources challenges via executable research, tools and advice that have a clear and measurable impact on your business. © 1997 - 2016 McLean & Company. McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group SAMPLE Learn about becoming a member

Introduction Managers’ avoidance of difficult conversations can have a widespread negative impact. Train them to stop avoiding and start succeeding. This Research Is Designed For: This Research Will Help You: Learning and development leaders who are responsible for providing training as a part of a management development program. Organizational trainers who are tasked with creating training content and delivering it to participants. Organizations that are struggling with their managers avoiding difficult conversations. Make the case for training managers on how to have difficult conversations. Prepare for training. Deliver a pre-filled training deck to managers with the use of brainstorming exercises, role plays, and self-assessments. Evaluate: Participants’ reaction to the training session. Participants’ learning from the training session. Participants’ behavioral change after the training session. Impact of the training on organizational metrics. SAMPLE

Executive Summary SAMPLE Managers are avoiding difficult conversations. Like many employees, managers are evading having to handle a difficult conversation or handling them poorly. A VitalSmarts survey reported that 70% of employees avoid difficult conversations with their managers, subordinates, and peers. Avoiding difficult conversations can hurt everyone. Difficult conversations often encompass important items of discussion that can damage work relationships, affect productivity, and cost the business money. McLean & Company recommends training managers to get them to stop avoiding and start facing the challenge of a difficult conversation. The McLean & Company training supports this initiative by providing: Training deliverable in a one-day session. Pre-filled training content. Difficult Conversations EASE Framework. Exercises: Self-assessments, brainstorming activities, and role play scenarios. Get ready for training by planning out the who, what, where, and when of your logistics, and the accompanying budget. Include your goals and metrics in the process as well. Get stakeholder buy-in by presenting research from the “Make the case for manager training” section, and highlighting the plans for training with a logistics report. Evaluate the impact of training by measuring: Participants’ reaction to the training session including content, scheduling, and the facilitator. Participants’ learning as a result of training. Behavioral change in the participants after the training session. The impact on organizational metrics. Use the results of evaluation to make adjustments to future training sessions to drive knowledge transfer and a change in behaviors. SAMPLE

Guided Implementation McLean & Company offers various levels of support to best suit your needs Guided Implementation “Our team knows that we need to fix a process, but we need assistance to determine where to focus. Some check-ins along the way would help keep us on track.” DIY Toolkit “Our team has already made this critical project a priority, and we have the time and capability, but some guidance along the way would be helpful.” Workshop “We need to hit the ground running and get this project kicked off immediately. Our team has the ability to take this over once we get a framework and strategy in place.” Consulting “Our team does not have the time or the knowledge to take this project on. We need assistance through the entirety of this project.” Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options SAMPLE

Use this McLean & Company manager training blueprint to deliver impactful training The training deck is made up of key research in the storyboard, tools, and templates, as well as the main deliverable: the Training Deck. Helps you gain stakeholder buy-in. Gives you a high-level understanding of the training deck. Includes tools to prepare for training and stakeholder buy-in. Includes tools to measure and evaluate training. When it comes to handling difficult conversations, we are trained by our culture. We see people avoiding, turning them into contests, trying to win at all costs, and fighting or freezing. We rarely see them handled skillfully. – Judy Ringer, Conflict & Communications Specialist, Author, and Coach, Power and Presence Training Storyboard Deliverable in a one-day training session. Pre-filled with content and activities. Customizable to time constraints, legislative requirements, and organization-specific topics. Training Deck Use this blueprint to help counteract this poor cultural training and other challenges to effective difficult discussions. Help organize logistics and budget. Evaluate participant learning. Assess behavioral change. Help gain stakeholder buy-in. Evaluate business impact. Evaluate training delivery. Tools & Templates SAMPLE

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Train your managers to stop avoiding and start handling difficult conversations in a way that has a positive effect In the “Difficult Conversations Survey” conducted by Globis, 53% of respondents said lack of training was a reason for avoiding conversations. With proper training and support, managers can: Effectively approach difficult conversations. Spend less time avoiding difficult conversations. Boost their confidence. Improve their performance on the job. Get the resources they need for their work. Positively impact other employees’ performance and productivity. Manage out low performers. Improve their relationships. Increase employee confidence in managers. One of those frequently occurring challenges that everybody struggles with is how to communicate effectively, and how to engage in a challenging conversation. – Craig Dowden, Managing Director, SPB Organizational Psychology These results can ultimately… Reduce or avoid the potential costs for the business Managers handling issues means they are less likely to become full- blown problems that lead to legal and/or turnover costs. Free up HR’s time spent dealing with these issues Free time could be used elsewhere to create additional value for the organization. Encourage employees to have difficult conversations When managers role model the behavior, employees are more likely to be proactive about addressing issues themselves. SAMPLE

The training deck deliverables support the framework and knowledge transfer to participants Training Content Developed using best-practice research and insight from subject matter experts, and is customizable. Deliver the content in lecture style to participants, using frequent breaks, as well as exercises and activities, to keep participants engaged. Content Notes Facilitator’s notes and speaker’s notes provide supplementary information including: exercise instructions, delivery recommendations, and content explanation. Self-Assessments The self-assessments will act as a baseline measure of employees’ skills, enabling you to assess training effectiveness. The conflict style self-assessment will assign participants a style persona and how they can optimize them in a conversations. Both should be completed during the session. Role Play Scenarios Role plays are the star of this training deck. These role play scenarios have been designed to cover a variety of difficult conversations scenarios including: delivering bad news, apologizing, discussing sensitive subjects, and asking for something. Brainstorming Exercises The brainstorming exercises will keep participants interactive throughout the session. Use the brainstorming activities to draw out information from participants and provide feedback as necessary. SAMPLE

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