Advanced · Communication and productivity · module 153 of 155
Preparing difficult conversations with AI
Use AI to prepare and practise a difficult conversation, without sharing sensitive details about others.
After this lesson
You prepare a conversation with a goal, facts and possible reactions, practise with a role play and protect the other person’s privacy.
In view · An improvement loop
Preparing a difficult conversation
What you want to achieve, observable facts and what you are asking.
Practise with different reactions and ask for feedback on your answers.
No names or health information; follow your organisation’s agreements.
Part 1 of 3 · Goal and facts
Your preference for less movement is on. Choose each part yourself.
Preparing with facts and a goal
A difficult conversation, such as giving feedback, discussing a complaint or turning down a request, goes better with good preparation. Write down what you want to achieve, what facts you have and what you are asking of the other person. AI can help to phrase opening lines, organise your arguments and make your words more neutral. Stick to observable facts: “the last three deadlines were missed” is stronger than “you are unreliable”.
Practising with a role play
Ask AI to play the role of the person you are talking to, with a particular reaction: surprised, angry or dismissive (lesson 49). This way you practise staying calm and sticking to your message. Then ask for feedback on your answers: were you clear, did you sound reproachful? Remember that a role play with AI is an exercise: a real person reacts differently, and the model does not know the background.
Protect the other person, and yourself
Do not share names, health information or other sensitive details about the person you are talking to, and use a tool your organisation approves (lessons 5 and 117). Describe the situation in general terms. For staff conversations, follow your organisation’s agreements and involve HR if necessary. AI does not replace a confidential adviser or a care professional: for conflicts that weigh heavily on you, talk to someone who can support you.
New practice example
From explanation to a usable result.
AI helps you prepare and practise a difficult conversation. You stick to the facts and do not share sensitive details about the other person.
Fictional practice situationFictional: a volunteer has to ask another volunteer to stop running the till at the neighbourhood party, because the till did not add up twice.
View a possible solution
This is how it can be done
Goal: suggest another task that is a better fit. Facts: twice, the till did not add up at the end of the evening. Opening sentence: “Thank you for always being there. I want to talk to you about the till: the last two times, the total did not add up. I would like us to look together for a task that suits you better.” In the role play, I practised the answer to “Do you think I’m taking money?”: “No, I’m not saying that. It’s about a mistake anyone can make.”
Why this works
The preparation sticks to facts and to a solution. The role play helps you respond calmly to a painful question.
Make it slightly more difficult
Which reaction from the other person would throw you off balance the most? Practise an answer to it.
Extra practice, at your own pace. You do not need to submit anything. This does not count towards an automatic assessment.
Your workplace · learning by doing
Make something. See what changes.
Checking the AI connection… You can already view the written example.
Present your assignment to Ende.
Read the answer, change one thing, and compare.
Previously held
New version
You remain in control
What do you want to improve in your next attempt?
On this device only. AI answers remain only in this page memory. This is self-review, not a grade.
Why this approach works
The preparation sticks to facts and to a solution. The role play helps you respond calmly to a painful question.
A step further
Which reaction from the other person would throw you off balance the most? Practise an answer to it.
Try & discover · no obligation
Choose which data to omit
View the fictitious data. Omit sensitive practice fields and retain only what the task requires.
Fictional preparation of a difficult conversation with a colleague. You want to practise your opening lines with AI. For that, you do not need to know who the colleague is or how the colleague’s health is.
What would you include as input?
Your colleague’s name: Fictional colleague Kim Voorbeeld Health information: Fictional: absent for three weeks after an operation. Your goal for the conversation: Make agreements together about the next deadline. Facts without names: The last three deadlines were missed, each time without a message beforehand.
Still visible in this exercise: your colleague’s name, health information. Are those fields necessary for the general task?
Omitting or masking is not proof of anonymity. This fixed exercise does not check real personal data, files, or policies.
This trial works locally with fictitious data and does not count towards your lesson completion. It starts anew with a new lesson or reload.
A prompt to get you started
Help me prepare a conversation with a colleague who missed the last three deadlines for a joint report. I am not using a name or personal details. My goal: to agree together on the next deadline. Suggest three opening lines that are factual and friendly. Then play my colleague, who reacts defensively at first, and after five turns give me feedback on my answers.
Apply it
A team leader pastes the entire email exchange with a staff member, including absences and a medical certificate, into a free AI tool to prepare an appraisal meeting.
Which approach best fits this situation?
- Delete the email exchange from the tool, describe the situation in general terms without a name or health information, and follow HR’s agreements.
- Carry on; the AI gives better advice with more information.
- Leave out only the name and use the rest.
With JavaScript, you can check your approach and receive immediate feedback.
Test your insight
You want to prepare a conversation about a colleague who is often absent due to illness. Which input is appropriate in an AI tool?
- Name, days of absence and the diagnosis, for a complete picture.
- A general description of the situation without a name or health information, with your goal for the conversation.
- The complete personnel file, so the AI can give good advice.
Extra practice
Choose a conversation you need to have, or one you found difficult in the past. Write down your goal, the facts and your request, and practise once with a role play. Do not use any data that would make the other person recognisable.
Goal: agreements about the next deadline. Facts: three missed deadlines, each time without a message beforehand. Request: a heads-up at least two days in advance if it is not going to work. Opening line: “I would like to talk to you about our deadlines, because I notice things have been difficult in recent weeks. How do you see it?” In the role play the AI reacted defensively; I practised sticking to the facts, without blame.
