Conquering Crucial Conversations

The neuroscience of turning difficult conversations into quality ones.

The Problem

It is rare to find someone comfortable with, and skilled at, having difficult conversations.

Dr David Rock's NeuroLeadership Institute studied performance conversations at work. The leaders who ran them rated them 'high quality' around 50% of the time. The people on the receiving end put the figure at just 5%. That is an alarming gap in self-awareness.

The Insight

The rare few who master this skill can perform when the stakes are highest, turning precarious situations into stronger relationships and better outcomes. It comes down to understanding the brain, then planning the conversation with it in mind. Michelle Rushton and Shaun Kenny, founders of People of Influence, translate that neuroscience into practical, repeatable technique.

Watch

Watch a short introduction to conquering the conversations that matter most.

Difficult or quality?

The same conversation can go one of two ways. The difference is not courage or personality, it is whether it was planned with the brain in mind.

“Leadership really happens just one conversation at a time.”

Key Outcomes

What your leaders walk away with

01
Know what great looks like
Leaders understand what a quality conversation looks like, and the self-awareness gap most leaders never see.
02
See where they stand today
Leaders confront the gap between how their conversations actually land and how they think they land.
03
Strategies they can use immediately
A seven-step neuroscience model, the Three Stories Technique and language that primes the right mindset, ready for the very next conversation.
04
Practise the skill for real
Leaders rehearse a real, current conversation with a peer, with feedback, before it counts.
05
A toolkit and an action plan
Each participant receives a Takeaway Toolkit, plus a plan for the conversation they have been avoiding.
06
Nudges that reinforce over time
Behavioural nudges that reinforce the habit long after the session.
The Big 6

The Big 6 Conversations

The conversations that do the most to build capability and performance. We survey your group first, then tailor the session to the ones they most need.

Feedback
Change a behaviour and reinforce the right ones, without damaging the relationship.
Coaching
Help people solve their own problems and grow their capability and ownership.
Difficult
Raise the hard issue and land the message while keeping trust intact.
Expectation-Setting
Make what great looks like clear and specific, so people can reach for it.
Delegation
Hand over real responsibility in a way that stretches people and sets them up to succeed.
Training
Teach a skill so it sticks and transfers to the real work.
Session Flow

How the session unfolds

Delivered as a half day, or two half days for the full Big 6. Timings and emphasis tailored to your group.

1
What great looks like
The neuroscience and psychology of a quality conversation, and the self-awareness gap most leaders never see.
2
The neuroscience model
The seven steps to planning a conversation that avoids a defensive response and keeps the other person resourceful.
3
How to open
The Three Stories Technique and the language that primes the right mindset from the very first line.
4
Which conversation, when
The Big 6 Conversations, the metrics of a good one, and how to read skill and will to choose well.
5
Practise
Each leader rehearses a real, current conversation with a peer, tracking what great looks like, with feedback.
6
Make it real
Each leader commits to the conversation they have been avoiding, and how they will approach it.
Format & Delivery

Shaped around your context

Duration
Half day, or two half days for the full Big 6
Delivery
In person or virtual
Audience
Leaders, managers and professionals at any level
Two ways to work with us

People of Influence is the consultancy through which Michelle Rushton and Shaun Kenny deliver leadership programs, team offsites and impactful conferences.

Contact People of Influence →

Leadership Engine is our proprietary platform for diagnostics, dashboards and roadmaps.

Visit Leadership Engine →