Productive Conversations

Hear and be heard: innovative, drama-based training to give managers essential workplace conversation skills.

Managers can overestimate their ability to hold productive conversations at work. Just as many of us believe we are above average drivers, they fall into the trap of thinking that because they talk to people all of the time, they must be pretty good at it. Yet 360° feedback from employees often suggests otherwise.

Whether holding conversations about operational tasks, performance and conduct issues, personal development or wellbeing, managers need to be able to hear as well as be heard. They must demonstrate understanding, ask good questions, stay silent when necessary, master their emotional responses, and recognise their biases and people preferences.

Our new half-day workshop uses immersive, drama-based content to help managers at all levels learn and practise the essential ‘soft’ skills needed to hold high impact, productive conversations with team members, peers, and superiors.

Clients Include

Delegate Feedback

Engaging, impactful training. Easy to self-reflect and consider improvement and implementation in workplace.

A fun learning environment, rich with team building and sharing.

It was great fun, would recommend it. Learnt something about myself and our team. Didn't feel like work!

Different! Really good engaging workshop. Involved all team. Only 5/6 slides so it wasn't death by PowerPoint. Felt safe environment to speak up in front of colleagues.

I love how everyone got involved, the different use of activities, how relatable everything was - and the actors were great!

The whole event was brilliant. Well thought out, acted, tailored to [our team] and most importantly fun and interactive.

Very interactive and productive day. Well structured. Amazing actors.

I thought the course was amazing. I have learnt a lot and will definitely use what I have learnt.

Great to have real life situations, much better than videos.

I really enjoyed the drama of the live actors. It added a dimension to the course that was beneficial in terms of understanding the detail and certain behaviours.

Great teamwork, some serious messages about how we naturally behave and can tailor this when working with others who are different.

It was so visual, the acting really brought it to life and was very engaging.

Super fun day and worth carrying out the session. I know more about behaviour types and body language to get the best out of a situation.

Very good session with live actors and feedback on difficult conversations.

It was worthwhile, really helpful to observe conversations and reflect on how to approach.

Great demonstration of challenging discussions and managing them effectively.

Fantastic group. Great approach to presenting. Best session we’ve had!

The delegates are still buzzing about how great the session was.

Watch a Preview

Learning Outcomes

As a result of participation, learners will:

Know how to hold productive conversations in a range of potentially challenging areas, including discussing workloads and tasking, performance and conduct issues, coaching, and wellbeing

Understand why some conversations are much more difficult than others, the impact of internal narratives, and ways to manage one’s emotional reactions in the heat of the moment

Recognise the key elements of good listening and how to balance it with person-centred empathetic questioning

Learn how to give and receive timely constructive feedback, including recognising people’s strengths and contributions

Explore how to nurture psychological safety and provide one-to-one support to meet emotional needs

Identify specific ways to put their learning into action and continue to develop and improve their managerial performance back in the workplace

The Programme

We offer flexible delivery options including either face-to-face workshops at your venue of choice, or online with our interactive livestreamed virtual workshops.

The programme consists of the following modules.

#1 welcome and explanation of purpose

Getting to know each other, outlining aims and objectives, and establishing norms for the workshop.

#2 where we are now

Using electronic voting and facilitated group discussion to explore and benchmark how confident learners feel discussing a range of topics, how effective they believe they are, and why they avoid some conversations.

#3 interactive scenario – a quick word, please

A live action scene between a fictional manager and team member lets us explore what makes some conversations difficult and why they go wrong. We look at the brain science at work behind the scenes, the importance of self-awareness, and the need to engage ‘slow thinking’ to avoid being led astray by our assumptions and internal narratives.

#4 hearing and being heard

Next we use small group exercises to look at what makes ‘good communication skills’, the kinds of questions to ask and how to act when we do speak. Learners are also taught a practical model to help them give better feedback back in the workplace.

#5 Real Play scenario – one to one conversations

More live action in which learners get the chance to engage in simulated conversations to put what they have learned into. Customers can choose whether they want these conversations to focus on performance, conduct issues, employee development, mental health and wellbeing and more.

#6 summary, action planning and evaluation

At the end, learners identify one or more practical actions they will take back in the workplace, before the session closes with a series of electronic polls to evaluate whether the session met its objectives.

Learning Into Action

We have been delivering training programmes to help supervisors, team leaders and managers get better at having productive conversations since the company started in 2011. In that time, we have had customers from a range of sectors, including utilities, leisure, and finance.

Results from in-session electronic polling include:

had previously avoided a ‘difficult’ conversation at work

0 %

described themselves as reluctant to raise issues

0 %

increased their understanding of how to handle ‘difficult’ conversations

0 %

gained ideas of actions they could take to be more effective in their role

0 %

recognised the importance of listening for creating a more inclusive workplacee

0 %

found the session worthwhile

0 %

felt inspired to make a positive difference back in the workplace

0 %

found the session worthwhile

0 %

Very important session that provides you with essential skills and tools as a line manager.

Interested?

If you are interested in running this training programme in your organisation, or if you simply want to ask a question about it, hit the button to contact us or call +44 (0)1484 310234.

FIRST STEPS

Get in touch

The first step in collaborating with us is to start the conversations. Email, phone or pop in for a coffee and we'll be happy to help.

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