[FREE VIDEO] The Art of Difficult Conversations: How Leaders Can Master Tough Talks
The Art of Difficult Conversations: How Leaders Can Master Tough Talks
Presented by Unity & Company
In today’s workplace, the ability to navigate tough conversations is no longer optional—it’s essential. And yet, the vast majority of leaders avoid them. According to Crucial Learning, 70% of employees avoid difficult conversations at work, often for months or even years, leading to misalignment, eroded trust, and diminished performance.
In this powerful and practical session, Unity & Company Founder and CEO Scott Arrieta reframed difficult conversations not as check-the-box tasks, but as key leadership practices that shape culture, trust, and team performance.
Key Topics Covered:
The High Cost of Avoidance
Avoided conversations lead to resentment, disengagement, and reduced psychological safety.
As Susan Scott wrote in Fierce Conversations: “We avoid difficult conversations not because we lack the skill, but because we fear the outcome.”
Why These Conversations Are So Hard
Difficult conversations don’t just trigger discomfort—they activate our nervous system's survival responses (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn).
Quoting Bessel van der Kolk: “The body keeps the score.”
Trauma-Informed Leadership
Leaders must understand the emotional and somatic experiences people carry into work.
“Trauma is not what happens to you. It’s what happens inside of you.” – Dr. Gabor Maté
Somatic Awareness
You can’t communicate what you don’t embody.
A dysregulated nervous system can undermine even the best messaging.
Leaders must self-regulate before they communicate.
A Practical Framework: The Art of Conversation
Participants learned a six-phase, trauma-informed model for leading through tension and discomfort:
Opening – Set the tone and clarify intent
Curiosity – Spend 80% of your time here
Recommendation – Offer grounded, co-created paths forward
Agreement – Confirm alignment and next steps
Close – End with intention and care
Follow-Up – The most overlooked step that reinforces trust and accountability
This framework isn’t a script. It’s a practice of presence—one that requires leaders to be regulated, curious, and clear.
Key Takeaways:
Trauma-informed leadership isn’t about being soft. It’s about creating safety while speaking truth.
Difficult conversations aren’t communication problems—they’re regulation problems.
Leaders who embrace this practice build cultures where truth can be told and people can thrive.
As Scott shared in closing:
“What breaks trust isn’t disagreement. It’s disconnection. And what rebuilds it is the willingness to go there—especially when it’s uncomfortable.”
Recommended Resources:
The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk
The Myth of Normal – Dr. Gabor Maté
Fierce Conversations – Susan Scott
The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy – Deb Dana
Radical Candor – Kim Scott
Want a one-page summary of the model? Contact us at info@unityandcompany.com
Interested in bringing this work to your team? Contact us at info@unityandcompany.com