StretchLearn Course

Stop Avoiding Hard Conversations. Start Having Better Ones.

A practical beginner course on delivering candid feedback, resolving conflict, and reaching agreements — even in the most tense situations.

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Beginner9 hrSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

Difficult conversations — giving critical feedback, setting limits, addressing conflict, or delivering bad news — are inevitable in any organization. Most people avoid them, which makes problems worse. This course teaches a research-grounded framework (drawing on the Harvard Negotiation Project, Nonviolent Communication, and Crucial Conversations research) so you can enter any sensitive dialogue with clarity, empathy, and a plan. You will practice with realistic scripts, learn to de-escalate defensiveness, and leave with templates you can use the next day.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Identify the three core types of difficult conversations and choose the right approach for each

Prepare a structured conversation plan using the Contribution Map and Intent Statement

Apply the SBI (Situation–Behavior–Impact) model to deliver feedback that is specific and non-blaming

Manage your own emotional reactivity in the moment using grounding and perspective techniques

Recognize and redirect defensive responses without triggering further escalation

Close conversations with a documented, mutual agreement that holds over time

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Understanding What Makes Conversations Difficult

Map the anatomy of a difficult conversation, diagnose what typically goes wrong, and learn why preparation changes outcomes before a single word is spoken.

3 lessons

The Three Conversations Happening at OnceContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

The Truth About Blame and ContributionContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Diagnosing Your Avoidance PatternsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Preparing for the Conversation

Cover the structured preparation work — intent-setting, script-drafting, anticipating reactions, and choosing the right time and setting — that separates effective conversations from reactive ones.

3 lessons

Setting Your Intent Before You SpeakContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Drafting Your Opening with the SBI ModelContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Anticipating Reactions and Choosing the Right SettingContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Navigating the Conversation in Real Time

Master the in-the-moment skills — active listening, emotion management, reframing, and de-escalation — that keep a difficult conversation on track when it starts to go sideways.

3 lessons

Active Listening That Actually WorksContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Managing Your Own Emotional ReactivityContent · 45 min

LMS Access

De-escalating Defensiveness and Staying on TrackContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Closing Well and Following Through

How you close a difficult conversation determines whether the work done in it actually changes anything — learn to create durable mutual agreements, document them, and repair relationships over time.

3 lessons

From Conversation to AgreementContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Repairing the Relationship After a Hard ConversationContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Building a Difficult Conversations Practice Over TimeContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

difficult conversationsfeedbackconflict resolutioncommunicationempathynegotiationworkplace relationshipsemotional intelligence