The Difficult Conversations Lab
Real conversations. Real practice.
When leaders avoid difficult conversations, culture suffers.
The Difficult Conversations Lab gives leaders a safe place to practise the conversations they’ve been avoiding.
Most leadership training teaches people about difficult conversations.
Frameworks. Models. “What would you do if…” discussions.
But when the real moment arrives, emotion kicks in and the conversation goes sideways.
Because difficult conversations are not a knowledge problem.
They’re a practice problem.
What this is:
✅ Realistic conversation practice
✅ Professional actor every time
✅ Honest feedback
✅ Safe space to experiment
✅ Confidence-building repetition
What this is not:
❌ Slides about communication theory
❌ Hypothetical discussions about “what might work”
❌ Awful acting and everyone pretending it went well
❌ “That was great” style feedback
❌ Somewhere to hide
How the Difficult Conversations Lab works
The Lab is deliberately small so leaders get plenty of practice.
Leaders practise difficult conversations with a professional actor who responds just like a real colleague would.
We work with groups of up to eight leaders, creating a safe environment where people can experiment, learn and build confidence.
This isn’t a workshop where people sit quietly at the back.
Everyone participates.
Before the Lab: a 1:1 conversation
Before the Lab begins, each leader has a short 1:1 conversation with Jo.
This allows Jo to understand the real challenges each person is facing.
Not the sanitised version that might appear in a group setting, but the conversations they’re genuinely struggling with.
It also ensures leaders arrive ready to hear honest feedback and step slightly outside their comfort zone.
The Lab works best when people are open to learning and willing to practise.
These conversations help create that mindset before the room even opens.
One-day Lab
(for returning clients)
If your leaders have already worked with us and understand the core frameworks, the Lab can run as an intensive one-day practice session.
In this format we move quickly into extended conversation practice, allowing leaders to strengthen and embed the skills.
Two-day Lab
(recommended for new clients)
If your leaders are new to our approach, we recommend a two-day Lab.
Day one focuses on understanding how each leader shows up when conversations get tough.
We explore the behavioural traits that influence how people respond to pressure, conflict and feedback. Leaders begin to recognise their own patterns. The moments where they become defensive, avoidant, overly direct or overly accommodating.
This awareness matters.
Because if you don’t understand how you show up under pressure, it’s very difficult to change what happens in difficult conversations.
Day two is where everything comes together when we practise the conversations using the tools introduced during the session.
This is where leaders start to see how the tools work together and build the confidence to use them in real life.
Why this works
Knowing what you should say in a difficult conversation is one thing.
Being able to stay calm, curious and constructive when the moment becomes uncomfortable is another.
The Lab creates a safe environment where leaders can practise without judgement.
A place to try new approaches.
To push slightly beyond their comfort zone.
To say the hard things and see what happens.
Because that’s where real learning happens.
In the Lab, leaders practise handling moments like:
• defensiveness
• emotional reactions
• silence
• pushback
• conflict between colleagues
They experiment with different approaches, receive feedback and try again.
So when these moments happen in real life, leaders aren’t facing them for the first time.
They’ve already practised them.
Leaders leave the Lab with a small number of tools they can use immediately.
The Listening Cycle
⬇
Ask. Listen. Reflect. Then guide the conversation forward.
Curiosity before judgement
⬇
Replace labels with questions that keep people open
Hold up the mirror
⬇
Help people see the impact of their behaviour without attacking their character
Disagree well
⬇
Challenge ideas without damaging trust.
Is the Difficult Conversations Lab right for your organisation?
It usually is when:
👉Leaders delay difficult conversations
👉Feedback gets softened or avoided
👉Conflict sits under the surface
👉Performance issues linger too long
👉Teams want a culture of trust and accountability
Culture isn’t built in strategy documents
It’s built in conversations.
Most leaders are winging difficult conversations.
We train them not to.