We’ve all been there. That moment that either we knew we had to have a difficult conversation with someone or that we were being asked to attend a conversation that someone was going to have with us.

If you’re anything like me, you probably….

– lost sleep before it happened
– second guessed everything you said.
– at some point let your emotions get the better of you
– blacked out and can’t even remember what you said
– or got yourself so worked up and it wasn’t even that big of a deal

Yes, I am a definition over-thinker and I’ve really had to work hard to figure out how to have those difficult conversations with others where I felt like we leave the conversation better than when we came into it.

In my new online courses, I have an entire video that walks you through my 5 steps to having (or attending) a difficult conversation.

But one of those tips I share is this…..

When leading a conversation that you know will have a lot of emotions attached, come prepared. For me that meant writing down everything I wanted to make sure I articulated correctly.

If I didn’t come with my thoughts written out beforehand I would get lost in my emotions in the moment and not speak what I was meaning to say or just blank out all together.

I would even have a point in the meeting where I would say “I’m so sorry, I’m about to read some of this out of my notes because I really want to make sure I articulate myself correctly so that hopefully we can really understand each other.”

It may seem obvious or even a little silly, but when I would write down what I wanted to say ahead of time, I left the meeting really feeling like I didn’t let the train go off the tracks.

If you’re looking for my other 4 tips check out my online courses HERE. Heck, sign up your whole campus/district/team.