Many educators struggle with discussing difficult issues with colleagues. This book helps readers effectively lead challenging conversations with supervisees, peers, and supervisors. Emphasizing initiative and preparation as keys to a successful conversation, the author’s step-by-step approach provides: thought-provoking questions and first-person accounts that help build communications skills; advice on overcoming personal hesitation about expressing concerns; guidance on goal setting and choosing the best “what-where-and-when” for a productive discussion; sample scripts and other interactive tools to help educators prepare for the conversation and achieve positive outcomes.

What are hard conversations and why should we have them? -- Why we hesitate having hard conversations -- Questions to ask yourself before having the hard conversation -- What's the real problem? Finding the professional language to name it -- Making a plan -- Scripting your initial comments -- The whats, wheres and whens of having the hard conversation -- What if? Other types of hard conversation -- Conclusion.