Managing Difficult Dialogue is the perfect course for anyone with important relationships, where it is critical to resolve situations while enhancing the strength of the relationship.
Effectively Managing Difficult Dialogue is designed for professionals who want to improve their ability to navigate disagreement and confrontation while preserving—if not strengthening—important relationships. Whether you’re working with clients, colleagues, direct reports, or loved ones, this course will give you the skills to speak candidly and constructively, even in emotionally charged situations. Led by seasoned HR leader and educator David Town, the course blends theory with practical tools to help you approach tough conversations with clarity, confidence, and respect.
You’ll learn a proven three-step framework for having authentic and productive dialogue, along with techniques for handling emotional reactions and unexpected conflict. The course also covers how to thoughtfully prepare for difficult conversations and how to stay grounded and focused once they begin. These skills are essential for anyone seeking to foster open communication, resolve misunderstandings, and build stronger professional and personal connections.
David is a facilitator and executive coach focussed on helping build individual and organizational capability. He is an experienced coach and consultant in the area of leadership development, focusing on performance-related communication, management skills, team dynamics and difficult conversations involving conflicting points of view. He excels at helping individuals and organizations achieve their objectives through effective management and development of human capital. David has worked with organizations in a variety of sectors including retail, apparel design and distribution, wholesale, professional services, insurance, manufacturing, government and not-for-profit. Prior to starting his own consulting practice, David held senior HR positions in several prominent Canadian retail organizations including Loblaw Companies, Shoppers Drug Mart and Big V Pharmacies. He also has many years of experience as a lecturer at the Ivey School of Business and at Seneca College where he currently teaches Organizational Behaviour and HR Planning. In 2010, David authored a course on Performance Management as part of the Leadership Development Series program offered by Ontario Colleges. David is a graduate of the Ivey School of Business at Western University, earning a degree in Honors Business Administration (HBA). He earned his Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation and his Certified Human Resources Professional Leader (CHRL) designation. As well, David has earned the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) accreditation from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). He is a certified administrator of the MERIT Profile Assessment© and has worked extensively with the DiSC© assessment as well as other leadership assessment tools. He is also an active community volunteer, having held several volunteer leadership positions.
