Hard Conversations

Please note change of time and location!

A conversation with your boss about your workload.
Telling a friend they've hurt your feelings.
Bringing up something that's been bothering you with your partner or a family member.

Some conversations are harder than others.
We rehearse them in our heads. We imagine every possible outcome. We worry about saying the wrong thing, hurting someone's feelings, or making things worse.
Sometimes we avoid them altogether, hoping they'll somehow resolve themselves.

Hard Conversations is a low-pressure meetup where we'll explore why certain conversations feel so difficult, what gets in the way, and how we can approach them with a little more clarity and confidence.

Together we'll explore questions like:

• What makes a conversation feel difficult?
• Why do we avoid certain topics?
• How do you start a conversation you've been putting off?
• How do you stay calm when emotions are involved?
• What if the other person reacts badly?
• How do you say what needs to be said while staying true to yourself?

As always, we'll use a mix of conversation, simple exercises, and practical examples. There is no pressure to share personal experiences, and you can join in as much or as little as feels comfortable.

This topic deserves time and space, so I have arranged to borrow the Westerperk Cafe after closing time, giving us a quiet environment to explore without the usual background noise and distractions.

This meetup is especially for you if you:

• tend to avoid difficult conversations
• overthink what you want to say
• worry about hurting someone's feelings
• find conflict or confrontation uncomfortable
• want to feel more confident having honest conversations

You don't need to prepare.
You don't need to have a difficult conversation waiting for you.
Just bring your curiosity.

Hard Conversations is part of You Talking to Me? — a social club for exploring communication and connection together.

Please note: We'll have the café space to ourselves after closing, allowing us to explore this topic in a calm and private setting.

This is our first meetup on Hard Conversations, and it's a topic we'll likely return to. Depending on how the afternoon unfolds, we'll explore different aspects of difficult conversations in future meetups.