Courageous Conversations

Statistics:

• 77% of NHS respondents feel managers are ill-equipped to address conflict
• 37% of NHS staff don't feel confident to speak up about anything! 
• Employees who receive regular, actionable feedback are 23% more productive and engaged than those who don't! 
• 55% of people report missing out on opportunities for not being assertive enough. 

Impact: 

• Managers don't handle conflict well, or at all - which leads to unhealthy cultures. 
• Unengaged staff are ripe for attrition or they stay and become a weight on other staff.
• Under-represented minorities struggle to move banding due to lack of assertiveness. 

1. Engage more intentionally in challenging conversations, using the Circle of Concern and Influence to decide which conversations to have, where to focus their energy, and how to approach issues with greater personal accountability and emotional regulation.
2. Speak assertively and negotiate effectively in high-stakes conversations, using ‘I’ language to express needs, boundaries and concerns without blame, applying pre-written conversational scripts, and using the three principles of effective negotiation to move conversations forward when interests differ.
3. Give and receive feedback that improves performance while preserving relationships, using a clear, practical feedback framework to deliver feedback that is specific, balanced and actionable, and to respond to feedback with curiosity rather than defensiveness.
4. Diagnose and respond to workplace conflict with greater clarity and proportion, using the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Modes to recognise personal conflict tendencies and Gary Furlong’s Conflict Analysis Model to understand underlying drivers, interests and dynamics — enabling more constructive and timely responses.
5. Plan, practise and conduct difficult conversations with confidence and structure, applying the SPIN Framework to prepare, initiate, navigate and conclude challenging discussions — including performance issues, behavioural concerns -  and leaving with at least one real conversation plan ready for immediate use.

• Tackle conflict and challenging conversations with confidence and clarity
• Give honest feedback that improves performance without creating defensiveness
• Speak assertively and professionally under pressure
• Learn how to negotiate for your patients and department effectively
• Leave with practical frameworks and real conversations prepared and practised

• Focus on what you can control and influence using the Circle of Concern to choose the right conversations.
• Speak assertively and clearly using ‘I’ language, boundaries and prepared scripts.
• Negotiate effectively in everyday situations where priorities, needs and constraints differ.
• Practise real conversations to build confidence, clarity and consistency under pressure.

• Give and receive feedback that drives performance using a clear, practical framework.
• Understand and respond to conflict more effectively by diagnosing styles, drivers and dynamics.
• Structure and lead difficult conversations with confidence using the SPIN Framework.
• Practise high-stakes conversations safely to build skill, confidence and readiness for real situations.

It is suggested that there is a short 2 hour virtual follow-up about 3 weeks after the course with the cohort to take any questions, share learning and implementation. 

£6000 for a cohort of 20 (£300 per person) inc. travel and accommodation for facilitator (within the UK). 

Does not including venue or catering for participants.

As our commitment to developing leaders in Healthcare, we provide 

1 free place for every cohort of 20.