AI simulation glossary
Difficult conversation
Definition
A difficult conversation is a high-stakes exchange where emotions, disagreement or bad news make the discussion delicate: correcting an employee, handling an unhappy customer, announcing a refusal. It is better prepared by practising than by improvising.
Also called
tough conversation, sensitive conversation
Examples
Giving tough feedback, holding a performance conversation, handling a complaint under pressure, breaking bad news to a family, negotiating with a buyer threatening to leave.
Why practise
These conversations are rare but their consequences are significant. Practising them in a risk-free setting means arriving with words already tested and a plan.
With Face Up
Face Up personas build up pressure, push back or calm down depending on what the learner says; the debrief shows the moments that turned the exchange.
