Seven tips on how to discuss an unpleasant topic with an employee

A manager's qualities become evident more than ever in a crisis and extreme situations. Generally speaking, leadership provides numerous such situations and, when necessary, every manager should be able to deal with unpleasant conversations with colleagues or employees. Whether you need to talk about terminating someone's contract, negative changes at the company, complaints about an employee or anything else, here are seven tips on how to handle such difficult conversations.

Illustration

Have a clear goal

According to Psychology Today, such a conversation must have a clear aim and you should head towards it. Define what you want to achieve in the dialogue and stick to this aim. Otherwise, you will end up talking or arguing endlessly about nothing.

Try to set emotions aside

Try consciously to put emotions aside. Regardless of your feelings on the given issue, try to remain as neutral and professional as possible.

Be empathetic

Try to show understanding towards the given employee or colleague. You must convince them you understand their position because only then will you be able to have a constructive, transparent debate with them.

Keep an open mind

People usually come to such meetings with an opinion already in their mind. Try to get rid of such assumptions; approach the meeting as a blank sheet, open to whatever the employee has to say.

Focus also on positives

Do not focus exclusively on the negative aspects of the issue being discussed. This would come across to the employee only as criticism or be unnecessarily damaging to them in an emotional sense. So focus also on positive things.

Do not see the conversation as a fight

You must not treat the conversation with the employee as a fight in which one side wins and the other loses. Your aim is to reach a constructive solution and if either of you really does "lose", it will have a negative impact on both of you.

Agree on what happens next

As with any other meeting, here too the rule is that your conversation should lead to a plan. This is a course of action to be agreed on with the employee, even if the next step is only scheduling another meeting.

 

-mm-

 

Article source Psychology Today - a U.S. magazine and online community focused on psychology
Read more articles from Psychology Today