How to navigate difficult conversations with confidence

HAVING difficult conversations isn't easy and they can feel particularly uncomfortable in workplace situations where there are often a host of other dynamics also at play. But handling hard conversations well builds character and resilience - both of which will become increasingly important as you grow into more senior roles.

- TIFFANY UMAN

Constructive strategy

Whether it's giving tough feedback, addressing a conflict or advocating for yourself, these moments can test your emotional intelligence, communication skills and leadership abilities. And these situations are not the time to overthink or pretend that things will simply get better on their own - avoiding the conversation is often more harmful than navigating it imperfectly.

The key is learning how to approach these challenging communication moments with confidence and strategy-shifting away from potential conflict into constructive dialogue.

Here are three strategies, with examples:

Lead with empathy

Hard conversations often feel adversarial, but they don't have to be. Leading with empathy shifts the dynamic from confrontation to collaboration.

When you acknowledge the other person's perspective or feelings, it builds trust and disarms defensiveness. It's not about agreeing with everything they say or diminishing your own arguments. Rather, it's about creating a dialogue where both sides feel respected and heard so that you can find common ground and move forward together.

When giving constructive feedback: "I really appreciate the effort you've been putting into this project. I have also noticed (specific issue) and would like to work with you on finding a way to address it together."