Difficult conversations – how to approach them and what to do afterwards

ELC is meant to be all about play and fun and it is, of course. But sometimes we have to have difficult conversations. These might be with parents or carers – perhaps there are issues with a child’s behaviour, or concerns with their development. We may be wanting to suggest involving a specialist agency, or needing to change a child’s times or routines. Sometimes we have to have difficult conversations with other professionals, whether this is members of staff, colleagues, inspectors, officials from local authorities, or a discussion about car parking with the business next door.

Anyone, even with years of experience, can find themselves dreading a conversation that they have to have. We often have memories of ones that went worse than we hoped, and others that went better than we expected.

This short training is about how to prepare and have a difficult conversation, how to repair it if it seems to be going wrong, and what we can do afterwards to follow up – including how we are for ourselves. It is also available as individual coaching for managers.

The session will be a mix of input and reflection on what works. Participants will have an option to book a follow up coaching session if wished for further skills practice. They will go from this session with:

· Knowledge of the elements of successful conversations on difficult topics

· Ways to plan ahead for difficult conversations

· Or to cope and adjust if a conversation becomes unexpectedly difficult

· Strategies for preparation, managing and recovery or repair after a conversation

These trainings are delivered by James McTaggart, a chartered educational psychologist of nearly 20 years’ experience, with specialisms in early years and childhood trauma. James is widely sought after as a trainer and speaker, providing support and consultation to national developments such as parentclub, the national ELC modules, as well as being one of the writers of Realising the Ambition. He enjoys sharing ideas and chatting on social media and can be found at @JamesEdPsych on Twitter. Content draws on the national practice guidance, quality frameworks and international research. It can be tailored to the particular needs of participants if the description above does not quite fit requirements. Offered online to reduce costs, they are a mix of interesting and up to date input with lively discussions and take-away resources and activities for practitioners or managers to try out. Sessions can be adjusted in length to suit, from one hour up to two hours each, and also chained together to make a half or full day as required. Trailers for some of the topics can be found on the website.

Provider Title:
Happy and Learning Training

Contact Number:

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Website:
https://happyandlearning.com

Training is provided by a specialist educational psychologist, registered and regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (PYL01053), and a chartered member of the British Psychological Society. Content is based on nearly 20 years of practice experience with children, families and staff, as well as on constantly updated knowledge of relevant research literature. Every session offered is rigorously evaluated for content and delivery and data is used to make improvements for future offers.

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