{"id":1833,"date":"2019-10-03T10:02:06","date_gmt":"2019-10-03T17:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ascentblog.org\/?p=1833"},"modified":"2019-09-30T10:19:39","modified_gmt":"2019-09-30T17:19:39","slug":"handling-unpleasant-conversations-with-professionalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ascentblog.org\/handling-unpleasant-conversations-with-professionalism\/","title":{"rendered":"Handling Unpleasant Conversations with Professionalism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Managers and HR professionals\nmust deal with a lot of moving pieces to keep operations running smoothly. Sometimes,\nthose duties involve having difficult conversations. From meting out\ndisciplinary measures to letting internal applicants know they didn\u2019t receive a\nrequested promotion or raise, these talks can be stressful for everybody.\nKnowing how to handle them professionally will go a long way toward improving\nthe experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These Three Questions Will Help Guide You
<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

How you approach unpleasant conversations is\nkey, according to the experts. Your first step should be acknowledging to\nyourself that some conversations are going to be awkward or upsetting. Andrea\nLee, CEO of Thought Partners International and author of We Need to Talk:\nYour Guide to Challenging Business Conversations<\/em>, suggests asking yourself\nthree questions before sitting down with the person you\u2019ll be speaking with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Where are we now?<\/li>
  • Where are we going?<\/li>
  • How would we like to get there?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Breaking down the conversation beforehand in\nthis manner will help eliminate assumptions from both parties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Using the example of choosing one applicant over\nseveral others for a promotion, Lee suggests structuring the conversation like\nthis:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Manager: \u201cWhy does each of you want to work on\nthe new project, and what do you hope to get out of it?\u201d This addresses the\nfirst two questions, \u201cWhere are you now?\u201d and \u201cWhere do you want to go?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Applicant #1: \u201cI want to do it because I\u2019m\nalready doing similar work, and it will be easy for me to get it done well\nwithout additional training. I think it will be a cost-saving if I\u2019m assigned\nto the project.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Applicant  #2: \u201cI want to do it because I\nhave a better relationship with the people involved. They really like me and I\nthink they might bring us more business if I can be the one to wine and dine\nthem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Applicant #3: \u201cI should be the one to do the\nproject because I\u2019m new and so far I don\u2019t have any projects. I\u2019ll be able to\npay the most attention to the project and get it finished.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now, it\u2019s time for the manager to address all\nthree questions by crafting a response such as this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Manager: \u201cThat\u2019s really clear; thank you for\nyour answers. I want to be clear about my thoughts here, too. We really need to\nwork more efficiently, and bringing in new business this quarter as a priority.\nApplicant #1, I believe you would do a great job, but with your experience, my\nrequest is that you focus on getting your current priority project done ahead\nof schedule, and let\u2019s meet separately to talk about your development\nopportunities. Applicant #3 isn\u2019t qualified to go out and bring in new business\nquite yet. Applicant #2, it\u2019s true, you might be able to attract more business\nfrom this project, so I\u2019d like you to go to the initial project planning\nmeeting and grease the wheels with additional business development in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    These questions help the manager identify each\napplicant\u2019s motivations, and are phrased in such a way as to appear neutral and\nunbiased, bolstering credibility and eliminating any perceptions of unfairness.\nIt\u2019s important to keep emotion out of challenging conversations; this tends to\ncloud judgment and can create awkwardness on both sides. Forget about the past;\nstart with a clean slate and let your initial three questions guide you the\nrest of the way. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Managers and HR professionals must deal with a lot of moving pieces to keep operations running smoothly. Sometimes, those duties involve having difficult conversations. From meting out disciplinary measures to letting internal applicants know they didn\u2019t receive a requested promotion or raise, these talks can be stressful for everybody. Knowing how to handle them professionally…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1834,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"schema":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-human-resources"],"yoast_head":"\nHandling Unpleasant Conversations with Professionalism | ASCENT: Administrator Support Community for ENT<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"ASCENT: Administrator Support Community for ENT | Managers and HR professionals must deal with a lot of moving pieces to keep operations running smoothly. 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