Ep 137: Having ‘difficult’ conversations

In this episode, Richard and Pilar look at what makes some workplace conversation ‘difficult’ and what we can do about it.

There’s no shortage of topics, contexts and or even people that can make a conversation feel difficult. This difficulty can manifest as a form of psychological discomfort, meaning me can we tempted to delay or procrastinate. And it’s rare that a difficult conversation gets easier the longer we ignore it!

Core to tacking these situations is where we put our focus. If our focus is on the discomfort, and somehow alleviating it, we’ll be tempted to change what we say, how we say it or even convince ourselves the conversation doesn’t need to be had. If, however, we focus on the purpose of the conversation, and get clear on the values we want to bring to life, we can persist in the face of discomfort.

Thanks for listening!

Resources for this episode

Our ‘Connect and Thrive’ resources – https://www.worklifepsych.com/ConnectAndThrive

Ep 062 – The Power of Conversation – https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-062-the-power-of-conversation/

Ep 058 – Dealing with discomfort – https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-058-psychflex-in-action-6-dealing-with-discomfort/

Avoiding discomfort: the ‘comfort trap’ – https://www.worklifepsych.com/avoiding-discomfort-the-comfort-trap/

  • Date June 8, 2023
  • Tags Effectiveness