Topic: The Art of the Difficult Conversation

Speaker:  Nancy Burger, Workplace Communications Strategist & Leadership Coach

Presentation:
Many of us dread confrontations of any kind to the point where we may just avoid it completely, a perfectly normal reaction. But avoiding such exchanges is not always the best option and can often lead to compounding the problem. 

After providing a brief, user-friendly overview of how humans are wired when it comes to uncomfortable experiences, this session will teach you five effective steps for navigating difficult conversations as follows: 

• Unpack the fear—identifying the negative expectations or predictions using “what if” questioning.
• Fact versus Fiction—learning to differentiate between concrete facts and narratives we may be creating.
• Do Your Job—the importance of expressing yourself with compassion and honesty while resisting the urge to predict/project how the other person will react.
• Don’t Be Sorry—how apologies should be reserved for situations that call for them rather than used as a crutch to assuage our own discomfort.
• Say It, Then Wait—the importance of holding and space and honoring silence to build trust.

Speaker’s bio:
Nancy Burger empowers clients to pivot out of the limiting and fear-based thought patterns that are holding them back. A dynamic speaker, executive coach and engaging workshop facilitator, Nancy guides leaders and teams to foster healthy cultures and untangle communication knots in the workplace. She works with C-suite executives, heads of HR & training/recruiting, managers, business owners, and team leaders across many industries. Nancy also delivers workshops and talks to universities, leadership organizations, and networking groups on how to pivot out of limiting belief patterns and communicate with confidence and clarity. 

Nancy spent the early years of her career in finance, first with The Bank of New York at its headquarters on Wall Street and then in the foreign bank network where she specialized in healthcare lending and syndication.