6 conversations · 6 ready to practise
Difficult conversations with employees
The first time you have one shouldn’t be the first time you’ve said the words.
Dan · picker in a distribution centre
The one who’s stopped trying
They used to be one of your best. Now they do the minimum and go home.
Sophie · sales assistant in a high-street shop
The performance talk you’ve been avoiding
You’ve let it slide for six weeks. Every week makes it harder to say.
Kerry · night-shift replenishment colleague
Two colleagues, one problem
They’ve stopped speaking, and the rest of the shift is starting to take sides.
Claire · area manager
The numbers aren’t where they should be
Your area manager wants to know why your KPIs are behind. You’ve got ten minutes.
Jay · warehouse picker
The team member who used to be your mate
You got the job. They’re still on the team, and the jokes have started.
Bev · team member
Delivering news nobody wants
The extra hours are going and the rota is changing. You’re the one who has to say it.
Practice for reflection, not legal or HR advice. If it involves harassment, discrimination, health or safety, talk to HR or ACAS.
Practise it before you say it
Last month you were one of the team. Now you’re the one who has to say it: the effort’s dropped, the standard’s slipped, the hours are going. Nobody trained you for that part. These six let you practise with someone who answers back before you do it on the shop floor.
82% of people who enter management have had no formal management and leadership training.
Chartered Management Institute with YouGov, Taking Responsibility, October 2023Two-thirds of managers say they’re uncomfortable communicating with the people they manage.
Lou Solomon, Harvard Business Review, March 2016 (survey by Interact and Harris Poll)How it works
- Pick the conversation. Each one is an everyday situation from shops, warehouses and shift work, with one person on the other side who has their own reasons.
- Talk it through. Type what you’d say. They answer the way people do: they deflect, go quiet, or open up when you get it right. Up to eight turns.
- Hear how it went. Our AI coach reads the whole conversation and tells you what worked, where it slipped, what to say instead and the one thing to practise. Then try it again.
What we keep: nothing you typed. Your conversation stays in your browser and goes to our AI coach only to write the next reply and your feedback. Use a made-up name for the person you’re thinking of.
Reading for new supervisors
- Developing Leadership Skills for New Managers: 90-Day PlanPromotion changes the job: success is now what your team produces.
- The Standard You Walk Past Is the Standard You AcceptWhy the small thing you let go becomes the rule.
- Your First 90 Days: Building the 5R Habit From Day OneThe skills that got you promoted aren’t the ones that make you succeed.
Questions people ask
Who are these for?
Anyone in their first supervisor, team leader or shift lead job, especially if you were promoted from the team. The situations come from shops, warehouses and supermarkets, but the conversations travel.
Which one should I start with?
The one you’re putting off. If none is coming up yet, start with the one who’s stopped trying: it’s an easy one to leave too long.
What if my situation is different?
Pick the closest one. The character reacts to what you say, so the practice is in your words, not in matching every detail. Leave out real names and anything that could identify someone.
Can I do the same one twice?
Yes, and that’s where most of the learning is. Your first go at each conversation is free. Each go after that, including a second go at the same one, uses one Ask BOM credit.
Credits are the same as Ask BOM credits: packs from 10 for £3 to 100 for £20, and one code works across every coach tool on the site. Full refund within 14 days if you haven’t used a credit. Anything wrong, email [email protected]. How credits work