Difficult Conversations Archives

5 Practices of Resilient Relationships

What is a “resilient relationship?” It’s easy to feel confident and secure in a relationship that rarely experiences conflict. Resilience,…

What’s Your Conflict Style?

Each of us has a style of engaging conflict Conflict styles are largely learned Since they are learned, conflict styles…

The Potluck of Ideas: How to tell whether an idea is harmful or just distasteful

What happens when someone brings a plate of dog poo to the potluck? In other words, a set of ideas that are indigestible, harmful, and destructive to the very concept of human dignity?

Brave Talk is Officially Released!

Combining real-life storytelling, engaging illustrations, and rigorous academic sources, Brave Talk blends humor, creativity, and interactive learning to help everyday people develop better skills for navigating conflict in order to build stronger relationships and healthier communities.

The Fear Bunker: Where we go when we feel treatened

Fear plays an important role in difficult conversations and conflict transformation. In order to become conflict transformers, we need to…

11 Tips for Talking To Someone You Disagree With

Talking across disagreement is an unpredictable nightmare for a lot of people. Tensions escalate quickly, especially in times of uncertainty. I’ve compiled a list of 11 ways to improve your conversations with people who disagree with you on any given subject.

Walking Into a Difficult Conversation? This One Small Word Can Help

It’s important to develop a process before you walk into a difficult conversation. Disagreeing in healthy ways is more than just talking at someone. It involves a process that helps the conversation becomes more effective and creates space for deeper relationships.

When You Feel Uncomfortable In a Difficult Conversation

It’s common in difficult conversations to feel uncomfortable. How do you tell if the sense of discomfort is healthy or something that requires boundaries?