In this episode, Ryan Gray celebrates the one-year anniversary of the AVIT Amplifier podcast by bringing back his wife, Molly Gray, who is an HR professional. They discuss the topic of having difficult conversations, both in personal and professional settings. Molly shares insights on how to prepare for and approach difficult conversations, emphasizing the importance of normalizing the difficulty and acknowledging the fear and stress involved. She also provides strategies for reducing defensiveness and building empathy in these conversations. The episode highlights the need for practice and experience in handling difficult conversations and explores the impact of the environment on these interactions.

Takeaways

• Difficult conversations are common in both personal and professional settings and can be challenging to navigate.
• Normalizing the difficulty of these conversations is important to reduce isolation and shame.
• Recognizing and managing the fear and stress involved in difficult conversations is crucial.
• Strategies for reducing defensiveness include giving ground, asking questions, and focusing on facts.
• Building empathy and considering the other person's perspective can lead to more productive conversations.
• Experience and practice are key in developing skills for handling difficult conversations.
• The environment can impact the dynamics of difficult conversations and should be taken into account.

Sound Bites

• "Normalizing that tension and that stress around difficult conversations is a big part of what I do."
• "Your brain is having an extraordinarily hard time checking in with you. All it wants you to do is react."
• "Defensiveness is hands down the worst thing you can bring to a difficult conversation."

Connect with Molly:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollymgray/
Molly.M.Gray@asu.edu

Connect with Ryan:
https://twitter.com/Ryan_A_Gray
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagray/
ryan@higheredav.com

Follow the Show:
https://twitter.com/AVITAmplifier
https://higheredav.com/

Voiceovers by Chris Dechter:
https://twitter.com/cdechter
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cdechter/

Please rate and review the show wherever you get your podcasts, feedback is very welcome and we look forward to hearing from you!