Business and Economics

Self-Help

Difficult Conversations at Work

The Talks You’re Avoiding and How to Have Them WellBy Ezra Whitcomb

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Length10h 30m

About this audiobook

Difficult Conversations at Work is a practical communication guide for professionals, managers, and leaders who want to handle challenging workplace discussions with confidence and professionalism. Drawing on years of executive coaching and corporate leadership experience, Ezra Whitcomb explores why difficult conversations are often delayed and how avoidance creates larger problems over time. From performance feedback and salary discussions to resignations and workplace conflict, the book provides a framework for addressing issues directly while preserving dignity and trust. The book covers more than twenty common workplace situations, including giving feedback, receiving criticism, asking for a raise, managing underperformance, delivering bad news, reporting misconduct, and setting boundaries with colleagues and supervisors. Each chapter explains the psychology behind these conversations and offers practical strategies for navigating them effectively. Readers will learn how to stay calm under pressure, prepare for emotionally charged discussions, communicate clearly, and focus on solutions rather than blame. The book also emphasizes active listening, accountability, and respect, helping professionals build stronger relationships even during difficult interactions. Designed for both new managers and experienced leaders, this guide transforms workplace communication from a source of stress into a valuable leadership skill. Whether leading a team or managing upward, readers will gain the confidence to handle conversations that many people avoid.

Psychological Healing Survival

Audiobook details

GenreBusiness and Economics, Self-Help

Length10 hrs 30 mins

Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices

FormateBook with Audio

LanguageEnglish

1Introduction

2Introduction — The Conversations You’re Paying Interest On

3Chapter 1 — The Conversations You’re Paying Interest On

4Chapter 2 — The 24-Hour Rule

5Chapter 3 — The Difference Between Feedback and Venting

Show all chapters

6Chapter 4 — Firing Someone With Dignity

7Chapter 6 — The Performance Review You Dread

8Chapter 7 — Asking for a Raise

9Chapter 8 — Asking for a Promotion

10Chapter 10 — Negotiating a Counteroffer

11Chapter 11 — Telling Your Boss They’re Making a Mistake

12Chapter 12 — The Conversation About Your Work That Hurt

13Chapter 14 — Reporting Harassment or Discrimination

14Chapter 15 — The Resignation Conversation

15Chapter 16 — Staying When You Said You’d Leave

16Chapter 17 — Delivering a Layoff That Isn’t Yours

17Chapter 18 — Receiving Feedback Without Defending

18Chapter 19 — Apologizing in a Way That Lands

19Chapter 20 — The Conversation About Mental Health

20Chapter 21 — Setting a Boundary With a Higher-Up

21Chapter 22 — When the Conversation Doesn’t Work

22Appendix A — Scripted Walkthrough: Firing a Long- Tenured Underperformer

23Appendix B — Scripted Walkthrough: Asking for a Significant Raise

24Appendix C — Scripted Walkthrough: Pushing Back on a Misaligned Senior Decision

25Appendix D — Scripted Walkthrough: Receiving Tough Feedback About Your Leadership

26Appendix E — Scripted Walkthrough: Resigning When the Relationship Is Complicated

27Appendix F — Sentences to Have on Your Tongue

28Appendix G — Scripted Walkthrough: Reporting a Senior Colleague’s Misconduct

29Appendix H — Scripted Walkthrough: Declining an Internal Opportunity Without Closing the Door

30Appendix I — Scripted Walkthrough: Confronting a Peer About a Pattern

31Appendix J — Frequently Asked Questions From the Last Decade

32Appendix K — Scripted Walkthrough: A Performance Review Where the Rating Surprises

33Appendix L — Scripted Walkthrough: The Conversation About Hygiene, Style, or Personal Presentation

34Appendix M — Scripted Walkthrough: The Conversation About a Personal Crisis at Work

35Appendix N — A Note on Practice Across Time

36Appendix O — Scripted Walkthrough: Renegotiating a Project After Conditions Change

37Appendix P — Scripted Walkthrough: The Conversation About Compensation Equity

38Appendix Q — Scripted Walkthrough: Telling a Trusted Colleague You Cannot Continue to Cover for Them

39Appendix R — Scripted Walkthrough: The Conversation About Returning to the Office

40Appendix S — Scripted Walkthrough: A Conversation You Wish You Did Not Have to Have

41Appendix T — On the Particular Difficulty of the First Conversation

42Appendix U — Notes for Particular Roles

43Appendix V — Closing Notes from the Coaching Notebook

44Appendix W — A Final Word on the Practice

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