Who it's for
For leaders at all levels who need to discuss difficult feedback, performance, conflicts or sensitive personnel matters directly, calmly and respectfully.
EmployeeConversations
Leading Difficult Dialogues with Confidence
The conversation is long overdue, but keeps being postponed because it's unclear how to speak directly without damaging the working relationship.
Whether it's performance feedback, conflicts or personal matters: difficult employee conversations are often postponed, cut short or not handled with enough clarity. We equip leaders to prepare such conversations well, address problems clearly and stay in dialogue, with respect for the person, clarity on the matter and lasting results.
Formats
- BriefingKeynote or half-day workshop
- Intensive2 to 3 days on site
- Journey4 to 10 days on site + online support
- Executive Sparring1:1
Foundation
TRIPLE IMPACT: Swiss Academy's model built on public speaking, neurocommunication and energy management. Researched by Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) and financially supported by Innosuisse.
Where we
can help
We help prepare difficult conversations, speak directly and respectfully, deal with reactions, and close the dialogue with a concrete agreement.
Difficult topics get postponed
Critical topics are avoided or downplayed out of fear of escalation.
Conversations become emotional
Conversations become emotional without a concrete outcome.
Leaders are left alone with the situation
Leaders feel left alone and uncertain in difficult conversations.
Focus of the work
The focus of the programme is shaped by the topics that truly matter in your situation.
Constructive feedback
Giving concrete feedback that the other person can work with.
Performance and development
Talking about performance, expectations and development.
Critical conversations
Addressing problems clearly without unnecessarily damaging the relationship.
Conflict conversations
Leading dialogue amid tension, resistance and difficult situations.
Sensitive topics
Handling personal and delicate questions carefully and clearly.
Conversation structure
Planning preparation, opening, core message, questions and closing.
Emotions and escalation
Staying capable of action amid defensiveness, silence, tears or strong reactions.
Separation, transfer, misconduct
Preparing particularly demanding personnel conversations with high stakes.
Work formats
Choose the right depth: a short shared introduction, an intensive preparation, a guided development programme or targeted 1:1 sparring.
Compact impulse format (keynote or half-day workshop)
The art of the difficult conversation
Result: Guidelines and a simple conversation structure for sensitive dialogues, including typical example phrasing.
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2–3-day on-site training programme
Leading difficult conversations, training with practical cases
Result: Practised conversation skills based on real cases; feedback on impact, language and stance.
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Multi-month development programme (4–10 days on site + online support)
Confident in conflict and criticism
Result: Building conversation competence over several modules with transfer assignments from your own everyday leadership.
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Individual 1:1 support for leaders
Sparring for particularly sensitive personnel conversations
Result: Individual preparation and follow-up for high-stakes conversations, for example separation, transfer or serious misconduct.
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Individually or as a team
In the conversation, we clarify whether individual support or a shared development programme fits your needs.
Individual work
For a leader facing a difficult or sensitive conversation who needs precise preparation.
Discuss individual workFor teams and organisations
For organisations that want to systematically improve the quality of feedback, performance and conflict conversations.
Discuss team work“
Die Swiss Academy hat mich enorm weitergebracht. Top Team, sehr innovativ und kompetent.
Priska Flury
Unternehmerin
“
Sensationell, meine Erwartungen sind deutlich, deutlich übererfüllt worden. Ich bin mega happy!
Jan Recknagel
Geschäftsführer Kärcher Deutschland
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers
A short overview of what the programme achieves, how to choose the right format, and when a different topic area makes more sense.
What skills does the programme develop?
• Prepare difficult conversations: goal, facts, expectations, possible reactions and next step. • Give feedback directly without diluting the message and with respect for the person. • Hold the structure of the dialogue and bring the conversation back to the matter, even when emotions or resistance arise. • Close conversations with a concrete agreement, responsibility and follow-up.
How do you choose the right format?
The briefing provides a shared structure and typical phrasing. The intensive format is suitable for practice on real cases and role situations. The journey fits when an organisation wants to systematically develop its feedback culture and handling of difficult conversations. Executive Sparring is intended for a single, particularly sensitive conversation.
What if the conflict isn't between two people, but between functions or locations?
Then Communication Culture is the better fit. It focuses on interfaces, dependencies, shared responsibility and collaboration across areas.
More on Communication CultureWant to understand which format fits?
In a free conversation, we clarify your situation and choose the right format for individuals or teams.