Having Hard Conversations Without Making Everything Worse

Self-paced course 

IS THIS YOU?

• You’ve avoided a conversation because you were afraid of making it worse.
• You replay staff interactions in your head and wish you handled them differently.
• You need to give feedback but don’t know how to start without escalating emotion.
• You feel drained after tense workplace conversations.
• You worry about documentation, power dynamics, or protecting yourself professionally.

If so, this course was built for you.

Workplace tension is part of library work. Miscommunication, performance concerns, boundary issues, and emotionally charged conversations do not resolve themselves, and avoiding them usually makes them harder.

This self-paced course gives you practical frameworks for preparing, structuring, and documenting difficult conversations so you can address issues directly without escalating conflict or compromising your professionalism

THIS COURSE CONSISTS OF 2 ON-DEMAND MODULES:

Module 1: Foundations of Conflict Management

Where do disagreements come from, and how do they escalate? This module introduces a clear preparation framework for difficult conversations, including how to separate facts from assumptions, clarify your message, manage timing, and regulate your own emotional response. You’ll assess your conflict and communication styles and examine how power dynamics shape workplace interactions.

Module 2: Managing Challenging Interactions with Colleagues and Staff

How do you actually open a difficult conversation? What do you say when someone becomes defensive, emotional, or resistant? This module focuses on practical language and structured strategies for addressing performance concerns, managing up, giving and receiving challenging feedback, and documenting conversations clearly and professionally.

Learning Objectives:

• Open a difficult conversation using facts rather than accusations
• Identify your default conflict style and adjust it strategically
• Adapt your communication approach based on the other person’s style
• Address performance or behavior concerns without escalating emotion
• Use trauma-informed grounding techniques to stay centered under pressure
• Navigate conversations with colleagues, direct reports, and supervisors
• Document conversations clearly and professionally to protect yourself and your organization
   

Presenters:

• Crystal Trice, CSM, CSM@Scale, Library Consultant, Scissors & Glue, LLC
• Catherine Soehner, MLS, BSN

CALL Training Partner for this Event: Library Journal

Track: Communication