How to Talk to Employees as a Manager: Mastering Communication and Navigating Difficult Conversations (MCI-MGC)

This course is for managers who want to communicate with their teams with confidence, whether the conversation is routine or genuinely difficult. As the manager's role grows more complex, effective communication has become the cornerstone of building trust, resolving conflict, and driving engagement, yet many leaders find that feedback, sensitive issues, and conflict can quickly lead to misunderstandings, low morale, and lost productivity, especially across remote and virtual teams.

How to Talk to Employees as a Manager equips leaders with practical skills and techniques for the full range of conversations they face day to day. Through real-world examples and proven frameworks, you will learn to deliver feedback that fosters trust, navigate difficult and sensitive topics with clarity and fairness, handle serious employee relations issues within legal and policy guidelines, and coach other leaders so strong communication carries throughout the organization.

• Core principles of communication and their impact on team dynamics, productivity, and culture
• Common communication challenges managers face and practical strategies to overcome them
• Navigating difficult conversations around performance issues, conflicts, and sensitive concerns
• Communicating with empathy and professionalism to build trust and open dialogue
• Handling serious employee relations issues, including misconduct, disciplinary action, and terminations
• Upholding organizational policies and legal requirements during high-stakes conversations
• Adapting communication for remote and virtual teams
• Coaching and developing team leaders to strengthen the organization's communication culture

Each student receives a comprehensive set of materials, including course notes and all class examples.