Classroom/ Online: Yes/ Yes
Scheduling Date(s):
1) Jan 09, 2025 (classroom)
2) Apr 04, 2025 (classroom)
3) Jul 04, 2025 (classroom)
4) Oct 17, 2025 (classroom)
Note: Please click specific date for detailed venue and course fee etc.
Transforming Difficult & Challenging Discussion Into Desirable Outcomes.
Difficult conversations - whether you are telling a client the project is delayed or presiding over an unenthusiastic performance review - are an inevitable part of management. How should you prepare for this kind of discussion? How do you find the right words in the moment? And how can you manage the exchange so that it goes as smoothly as possible?
What the Experts Say
"We've all had bad experiences with these kind of conversations in the past," says Holly Weeks, the author of Failure to Communicate. Perhaps your boss lashed out at you during a heated discussion; or your direct report started to cry during a performance review; maybe your client hung up the phone on you. As a result, we tend to avoid them. But that is not the right answer. After all, tough conversations "are not black swans," says Jean-Francois Manzoni, professor of human resources and organizational development at INSEAD. The key is to learn how to handle them in a way that produces "a better outcome: less pain for you, and less pain for the person you're talking to," he says. Here is how to get what you need from these hard conversations - while also keeping your relationships intact.
What the Experts Say
"We've all had bad experiences with these kind of conversations in the past," says Holly Weeks, the author of Failure to Communicate. Perhaps your boss lashed out at you during a heated discussion; or your direct report started to cry during a performance review; maybe your client hung up the phone on you. As a result, we tend to avoid them. But that is not the right answer. After all, tough conversations "are not black swans," says Jean-Francois Manzoni, professor of human resources and organizational development at INSEAD. The key is to learn how to handle them in a way that produces "a better outcome: less pain for you, and less pain for the person you're talking to," he says. Here is how to get what you need from these hard conversations - while also keeping your relationships intact.
Objective
After completing this course, which hones participants' awareness and interpersonal skills, they should be able to:
- Comprehend what is Difficult & Challenging Discussion
- Identify the importance of achieving Desirable Outcomes
- Recognize that "we" might be the one that is contributing to the Difficult & Challenging Situations.
- Preparing ourselves to handle the difficult and challenging situations.
- 8 Steps to manage the difficult and challenging situations.
- Comprehend the 6 Principles to succeed
- Able to apply the skills sets learnt to real case scenarios.
- Appreciate the 10 quicks Tips to manage those situations.
- Recognize the "Formula"
- Work on some Common cases
Outline
Introduction
- Definition of Difficult, Challenging, and Desirable Outcomes
- Managing Expectations
- The Success Triangle
- Our Thinking Cycle
- I-R Theory
- Discussion vs Conversation vs Dialogue
- What the Experts says?
- Change Your Mindset
- Breathe
- Plan but Do not script
- Acknowledge your counterpart perspectives
- Be compassionate
- Slow down and listen
- Give something back
- Reflect and Learn
- The Do's
- The Don'ts
- Discuss & Practice
- 10 Tips
- The Formula
- Common cases
- 3 Basic Psychology Skills
Who should attend
Human Resources Personnel, Managers/Supervisors/Leaders with remote employees, Team Leaders and Project Managers who are managing remote team members, or just anyone in the organization who wants to further enhance their remote management skills.
Methodology
We use a variety of interactive methods that allow participants to learn by drawing conclusions (learning points) from their practices and exercises. A direct, systematic, and structured approach where guides are provided for participants to practice their skills. The pace of the programs will keep participants involved and attentive. Participants are taught in a step-by-step combination of lectures and discussions, demonstrations, small group exercises and discovery experiments.
Training techniques include:
Training techniques include:
- Mini lectures with questions for interaction
- Facilitated Discussions
- Informal practices
- Skills Practice & Role Play
- Self-reflection
- Action Planning
Testimonials
David Ong is so knowledgeable & kept our class lively. I Learned a lot from him.
- participant
Many interesting examples
Very informative and clearly understood
Very vibrant and cheerful throughout the session
Knowledgeable and have lots of experience to share.
David mentioned about life stories that makes the theory easy to understand
Engaging and observant
Understanding and applying in work or daily life
Good and easy to understand
Mr David is very experienced and knowledgeable.
Will try to apply. Yes it achieved its objective.
It gave insights to things that I have been missing.
I was able to relate and understand his explanations and case studies shared well.
Soft skills taught is very useful and simple to understand
Very interactive and knowledgeable
Applicable to real scenarios
Vivid and clear explanations
It was easy to understand the content of the materials and seemed applicable in my work when necessary.
Tidily organized with the slides showed for easier reference.
Learnt skills and techniques to handle difficult discussions.
Excellent workshop!
Very knowledgeable trainer who shared many useful tips and knowledge.
Good, Comprehensive & clear! Course is lively n interesting.
- participant
Many interesting examples
Very informative and clearly understood
Very vibrant and cheerful throughout the session
Knowledgeable and have lots of experience to share.
David mentioned about life stories that makes the theory easy to understand
Engaging and observant
Understanding and applying in work or daily life
Good and easy to understand
Mr David is very experienced and knowledgeable.
Will try to apply. Yes it achieved its objective.
It gave insights to things that I have been missing.
I was able to relate and understand his explanations and case studies shared well.
Soft skills taught is very useful and simple to understand
Very interactive and knowledgeable
Applicable to real scenarios
Vivid and clear explanations
It was easy to understand the content of the materials and seemed applicable in my work when necessary.
Tidily organized with the slides showed for easier reference.
Learnt skills and techniques to handle difficult discussions.
Excellent workshop!
Very knowledgeable trainer who shared many useful tips and knowledge.
Good, Comprehensive & clear! Course is lively n interesting.
Profile of David Ong
David has more than 30 years of Managing, Developing and Training Human Capital both local and regional countries.
His vast training experiences and travels make him a close Business Consultant with numerous corporations, partnering with them in their Organization Development in areas related to Values and Culture, Training Needs Analysis, Training Evaluation and Leadership Competency Model.
His niche areas are delivering Leadership Competency Related Programs; ie, Project Management, Change Management, Decision Making, Problem Solving, Creativity, Innovation, Negotiations, Diversity Management, Corporate Culture, Mindfulness, Team Enhancement, Communication, People Skills, Coaching and Human Behavioral Science(Psychology/Sociology).
His professional training development includes PDTD from STADA/Singapore, Training Design from Wagga Wagga/Australia and Training Methodologies from Canada.
He is also the Master Trainer with a few recognized institutions in conducting Train The Trainer programs in Training Delivery, Training Methodology, Training Design, OJT Structuring, Test Constructions and Presentation Skills.
His passion in Human Behavioral Science has seen him further study in the fields of Education-Adult Learning and Psychology-Behaviors.
He is also certified in numerous profiling tools namely;
- Whole Brain Thinking HBDI level 1, 2 and 3.
- TetraMap in Leadership profiling.
- The US FBI "Art of Profiling" and others.
- Global US Sandler Sales Master Trainer.
- Handwriting Analysis
- DISC
- MBTI
- NLP Practitioner
- Practitioner of Mindfulness
He also received the Singapore President Efficiency Medal.
