#159 — Think of a difficult conversation that you are in the middle of, or one that you’ve recently had. Maybe it’s onboarding a new team member, or working with a client. Maybe it’s with your partner or your spouse, and you're trying to negotiate all those logistics of parenting. Maybe it’s with the grandparents, your kids, your boss, a colleague—whoever it is, I am sure that you have had the experience of how challenging it can be to go through a hard conversation.

For me, I avoid them. I panic. I worry. I stress. I get really sweaty. I get nervous. I stammer. I try to keep the peace. There are so many strategies I have to try to avoid having hard conversations, or try to avoid ruffling any feathers and those strategies don't necessarily serve me. The stakes get high, people get frustrated. Sometimes when you do end up having them, you both lose sight of what it was that you wanted in the first place, or you win, but you don't really feel you won, because what is winning?

Today on the podcast, we get to have Sharon Stolt join us to teach us what to do and how to start the art of having challenging and uncomfortable conversations. Sharon Stolt is a global learning and development leader, a dynamic facilitator and an instructional designer specializing in leadership and manager development.

She has taught and designed innovative training programs for Fortune 500 companies and small startups and she helps thousands of people communicate better and lead more effectively. She takes us through how to think about having hard conversations, how to frame them, what our goals and objectives should be, and how to keep learning throughout all of them. When you improve your ability to communicate and navigate hard conversations, you'll be a better leader, a better parent, and you'll be a better advocate. Join us for this important conversation.

How To Get Through Hard Conversations (Sharon Stolt)