Get a Script for the Conversation You've Been Dreading
Describe the situation. Walk away with a prep sheet — your opening line, talking points, and a playbook for how they'll react.
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Free to try · Private and encrypted · Takes 2 minutes
What You Walk Away With
Your prep sheet — built for the moment, not the shelf
After the conversation with the advisor, Advizo generates a one-page prep sheet from your session. Not a transcript — a tool designed for a 30-second scan on your phone outside the meeting room.
Difficult Conversations Advisor
Addressing quality slip with strong performer
A high-performing team member of three years has shown uncharacteristic errors over the past six weeks — a pricing mistake on a client proposal and a missed internal deadline. The manager suspects the decline may be connected to a restructuring two months ago that moved her off a client she had been leading. The manager has not yet addressed this with her directly.
Before
- Schedule the conversation for mid-afternoon when she's less rushed
- Find a private space (conference room, not your desk or hers)
- Review the specific examples: Henderson proposal pricing error, missed internal report deadline
Opening line
“I wanted to check in with you — both about some things I've noticed recently, and honestly just to see how you're doing. Since the restructuring, I realized I haven't had a real one-on-one with you about how the transition has felt. I should have done that sooner.”
Talking points
- 1How she's been doing since the restructuring and the client move
- 2Acknowledge you didn't follow up one-on-one after the restructuring email
- 3Raise the specific performance examples: pricing error and missed deadline
- 4Listen for what's really going on beneath the surface
- 5Validate that losing a client she'd built is a real loss, even if the restructuring made sense
Watch for
She becomes emotional or starts crying
Stop talking. Pause and offer her a moment: "Take your time — there's no rush here." Don't apologize for bringing it up or backpedal on the substance. Wait for her to be ready, then check in: "Are you okay to keep going?"
She goes quiet and shuts down
Don't fill the silence too fast. Give her at least 10 seconds. Then try: "I can see you're processing this. Take your time." If silence continues: "What's going through your mind right now?"
If they say
“She tells you the restructuring hit her hard or she felt the client move deeply”
"That makes complete sense, and I wish I'd checked in with you sooner rather than assuming the email was enough. Losing a client you'd been leading — that's not nothing, even when the reasons behind it are sound. I should have made space for that conversation."
After
Close by explicitly stating: "You're still one of the strongest people on this team. That hasn't changed. I'm having this conversation because I care about how you're doing, not because I'm losing confidence in you. And I hope this can be the start of you feeling like you can come to me when something's hard — you don't have to just power through things alone."
Debrief after the conversation: reflect on how it went, what surprised you, and what comes next
Create a free account to get your prep sheet after any session.
See How the Advisor Works
The advisor prepares you for every version of the conversation
Three years of strong performance and now something's shifted — that's a meaningful change, and it makes sense you're taking it seriously.
Before we start building what you'll actually say, I want to make sure I understand the situation well enough to help you prepare for the real conversation, not just a generic one.
What specifically have you been noticing? Walk me through the actual examples you'd want to bring up.
You know the conversation needs to happen. Maybe it's feedback you've been rehearsing in your head for weeks. Maybe it's something you saw today that you can't let slide. Maybe it's a pattern you've been hoping would fix itself. Whatever it is, you're here because you need to say something — and you're not sure how.
69% of managers say they're uncomfortable communicating with their employees — and the conversations they avoid are exactly the ones that matter most. Every day you wait, the problem compounds: the behavior continues, resentment builds, and the conversation gets harder. When you finally have it unprepared, the risk isn't just awkwardness — it's saying something you can't take back, or softening the message so much that nothing changes.
That's exactly what the Difficult Conversations Advisor helps with. Describe the situation you're facing, and it builds a prep sheet for the conversation — your opening line, the talking points in sequence, and a response playbook for how they'll likely react. You walk in knowing what to say, how to say it, and what to do when it goes sideways.
A script, not a pep talk
The advisor builds a prep sheet with your opening line, talking points in sequence, and scripted responses to likely reactions. You walk into the room with a plan, not a hope.
Preparation before guesswork
The advisor asks what the conversation is about, what you've already tried, and what you're most afraid will happen — then builds an approach that's specific to your employee and your situation.
Completely private
Unlike rehearsing with your boss or a colleague, there's zero risk of looking unprepared. Your conversations are private, encrypted, and never used to train AI.
A script, not a pep talk
The advisor builds a prep sheet with your opening line, talking points in sequence, and scripted responses to likely reactions. You walk into the room with a plan, not a hope.
Preparation before guesswork
The advisor asks what the conversation is about, what you've already tried, and what you're most afraid will happen — then builds an approach that's specific to your employee and your situation.
Completely private
Unlike rehearsing with your boss or a colleague, there's zero risk of looking unprepared. Your conversations are private, encrypted, and never used to train AI.
How It Works
Describe the conversation you're facing
Tell the advisor what you need to say, who you're saying it to, and what you're worried will happen.
Get a plan for every version of the conversation
The advisor figures out the best approach — how to open, what to say in the middle, and how to handle defensiveness, tears, silence, or pushback.
Take your prep sheet into the room
Your one-page plan: opening line, talking points, a response playbook, and follow-up actions. Built for a 30-second scan outside the meeting room.
Describe the conversation you're facing
Tell the advisor what you need to say, who you're saying it to, and what you're worried will happen.
Get a plan for every version of the conversation
The advisor figures out the best approach — how to open, what to say in the middle, and how to handle defensiveness, tears, silence, or pushback.
Take your prep sheet into the room
Your one-page plan: opening line, talking points, a response playbook, and follow-up actions. Built for a 30-second scan outside the meeting room.
Your situation stays between you and the advisor
- Conversations encrypted with AES-256
- Your data stays yours
- Never sold to third parties
- Never used to train AI models
Common Questions
Ready to prepare for the conversation?
Describe the situation you're facing and get a specific plan: how to open, what to say, and how to handle whatever comes back at you.