Difficult Conversation Script for Managers, Employee Feedback Prep Sheet, One Page Performance Talk Planner, Editable Word and PDF

Difficult conversation script and prep sheet for managers — one page you fill in before a hard talk at work, with your opening line word for word, the pushback you expect, and the agreement you need before anyone leaves the room. Instant download, three files.

WHY THIS ONE

Difficult conversations rarely go wrong at the opening. They go wrong forty seconds in, when the other person says something you had not planned for and you improvise under pressure. This sheet is fifteen minutes of preparation that removes most of that risk. It is not a course and not a theory — it is one page you fill in and take into the room.

WHAT YOU FILL IN

1 — The facts. Dates, numbers, observable behaviour. Not what you think it means.
2 — Your opening line. Word for word. Say it out loud once before you go in.
3 — If they say / you say. The three answers you are most worried about, and your reply to each.
4 — What you agree before anyone leaves the room. One behaviour, one deadline, one way to tell whether it changed.
5 — Follow-up. The date, and exactly what you will check.

WHAT YOU GET

• Fillable PDF — type straight into every box on your computer, then save or print
• Print PDF — ruled lines in every box, for people who think with a pen
• Editable Word document (.docx) — change any wording to match how your organisation talks

Every file contains three pages: the blank sheet, a fully worked example, and a short how-to page.

THE WORKED EXAMPLE

One real conversation about repeated missed deadlines, filled in from start to finish — including three pieces of pushback and the exact reply to each. You can see what a good sheet looks like before you write your own.

WHO IT IS FOR

First-time managers facing their first performance conversation. Team leads and supervisors dealing with lateness, missed deadlines, tone, or work that keeps coming back. HR business partners who want one consistent prep format to hand to the managers they support. Anyone who has been putting a conversation off.

FORMAT AND COMPATIBILITY

US Letter (8.5 × 11 in). Prints cleanly on A4 with “fit to page”. The fillable PDF works in Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview on Mac, and most browsers. The Word file opens in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

DELIVERY

Instant digital download. The files appear in your Etsy account the moment payment clears, and also arrive by email. Nothing is posted to you.

LICENCE

Personal and internal use: your own conversations, the managers who report to you, and as many printed copies as you need. Not for resale, redistribution, or inclusion in paid training material you sell. Team and organisation licences are available — send a message.

Because this is a digital file, it cannot be returned once downloaded. If something is wrong with a file, message me and I will fix it.