Difficult Conversations Navigator
The Difficult Conversation Navigator
It's not always about finding the right words. Explore what you know, what you may be assuming, whose needs matter, and how power, relationships and organisational context may influence your next move. Grounded in ELIS Advantage's data-driven, needs-based and inclusive approach.
Before you start
Your responses are stored anonymously to help ELIS Advantage LTD understand common patterns, improve this resource and inform future assessments and tools. We do not attach your name or email address to your Navigator responses.
This is an educational and reflective resource designed to support your thinking. It is not a validated psychological assessment or a replacement for legal, organisational or personal judgement. You remain responsible for how you apply the reflections and resources to your own context.
Think about one workplace conversation you may need to have. You won't be asked to write down sensitive details or identify anyone.
There are no right or wrong answers. Select what seems most relevant right now. This is a starting point for context sense-making, reflexivity, working with difference and compassionate accountability — not a verdict about you or anyone else.
What does the work need next?
A difficult conversation rarely sits with one person alone. These observations are possibilities to explore, not conclusions about what caused the difficulty. Consider the needs, responsibilities and wider conditions involved.
A workplace NVC-informed preparation template
This is a practical preparation tool, informed by Nonviolent Communication, to help you organise what you want to say before a difficult workplace conversation. Keep the language proportionate to your role, relationship, responsibilities and organisational context.
Describe observable behaviour or events without adding motive, judgement or assumptions.
Use appropriate workplace statements.
Focus on the practical, relational or organisational impact you can reasonably describe.
Where appropriate, invite their perspective and possible solution before proposing your own.
Be specific and proportionate to your role and workplace context.
ELIS Advantage LTD is offering this resource as support for your decision-making, and not as a replacement for legal, organisational or personal judgement. You are responsible for how you act on or utilise these resources.
This Navigator is an educational and reflective resource. It may help you prepare, think more clearly and consider different ways of approaching a difficult conversation, but it cannot assess the full context of your situation or determine the right action for you.
Consider your workplace policies, role responsibilities, professional or legal obligations, organisational processes, power relationships and the potential impact on the people involved. Where a situation involves safeguarding, harassment, discrimination, grievance, disciplinary matters, significant risk or another formal concern, use the appropriate organisational or professional process and seek relevant advice where needed.
Three ELIS questions to take forward
- What have I observed, and what am I assuming?
- Whose needs, perspectives or responsibilities could be missing from my understanding?
- What would a needs-based, inclusive and compassionately accountable next step look like?
Have your results emailed to you
Enter your email address if you would like a copy of this reflection. Your email address is used to send these results. It is not automatically added to Leadership Letters or another marketing list.
You can also print or save your preparation map above.
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ELIS Advantage · Data-driven reflection
This is a reflective aid, not an assessment score. You can revisit or change any of your initial assumptions.
My NVC-informed conversation opening
Not completed.
