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Workshop

Navigate Tough Conversations at Work

Kelly Vaughn

Engineering Leader | Trained Therapist

This course is popular

3 people enrolled last week.

Know what to say, how to say it, and how to handle the response

Tough conversations are part of the job, but they’re also where most people feel the least confident.

They get delayed because you’re not sure how the other person will react, and you don’t want to make things worse.

So the conversation gets pushed off. The issue lingers. Over time, it starts to impact team performance, trust, and your confidence as a leader.

This workshop is where you fix that.

This is for managers and ICs navigating tough conversations at work.

You’ll bring a conversation you’ve been avoiding—whether it’s pushing back on trade-off conversations, underperformance, misalignment, or giving direct feedback—and we’ll work through it together.

You’ll leave with:

  • A clear goal for the conversation (what actually needs to change)

  • A structured way to open and communicate without triggering defensiveness

  • A plan for handling common reactions (pushback, emotion, silence)

  • Most importantly: a framework you can reuse for every tough conversation

This is a collaborative working session. By the end, you’ll have a plan for your conversation and a system you can use repeatedly.

What you’ll learn

    Workshop agenda

    • Understand the conversation you need to have

      Identify the conversation you’ve been putting off and clarify what’s actually at stake. You’ll define what needs to change and what’s been holding you back.

    • Structure and draft your conversation

      Open the conversation clearly and guide it without creating defensiveness. Then draft what you’ll actually say, step-by-step, with guidance.

    • Handle reactions and finalize your plan

      Respond to pushback, emotion, or silence, and finalize your plan so you’re ready to have the conversation. Well role play some conversations as well to gauge your response.

    Learn directly from Kelly

    Kelly Vaughn

    Kelly Vaughn

    Contact

    Engineering Leader | Trained Therapist

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    Who this workshop is for

    • Managers and ICs putting off a conversation they know they need to have

    • Those struggling to navigate negotiating trade-offs, underperformance, misalignment, or direct feedback

    • People who know what needs to be said, but don’t know how to say it

    Prerequisites

    • Come prepared with a tough conversation

      This is a working session. Bring a real conversation you’ve been putting off so you can work through it and leave with a clear plan.

    What's included

    Kelly Vaughn

    Live sessions

    Learn directly from Kelly Vaughn in a real-time, interactive format.

    Lifetime access

    Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.

    Community of peers

    Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.

    Certificate of completion

    Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.

    Maven Guarantee

    Your purchase is backed by the Maven Guarantee.

    Frequently asked questions

    Maven for Teams

    Reimbursement

    Get your company to pay

    Everything L&D needs: email template, receipts, and certificate of completion.

    Get reimbursed

    Private cohort

    Run a cohort for your org

    A dedicated cohort with a custom schedule and curriculum, tailored to your team.

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