Practise this conversation
How to talk to an employee who doesn’t follow through
Yellows say yes and mean it. The hard part is getting the when.
Jordan is waiting for you
Before you go in
Jordan is the one everyone wants on shift, and the first to say yes. This month he promised the new display, a Saturday swap and help for the new starter. None of it happened. You’ve asked him for ten minutes in the back office before his shift on Thursday.
Good luck.
Your goal
Leave with one promise from Jordan that has a day on it, and keep his enthusiasm.
Up to 8 turns, about five minutes, then feedback from our AI coach. Your first go at this conversation is free. After that, one credit a go (packs from £3).
Want the full rehearsal? (Pro, 6 credits for both)
What you’ll practise
- Opening with the person, then getting to the point by your second or third line.
- Naming the pattern with two clear examples and what each one cost the shift, without sounding cold.
- Agreeing one thing and one date, and asking Jordan to say it back so you both know it’s real.
Your goal
Your free go at this one is used
One credit runs the whole conversation
Each new go costs one credit: a full conversation with Jordan and the coach’s feedback. Your free go at the other conversations is still there.
No code? Get BOM Credits, from 10 for £3. Your code comes by email and works across the coach tools. Full refund within 14 days if you haven’t used a credit.
What worked
Where it slipped
Say this instead
One thing to practise
Read next
Show the conversation
Ready for the real one?
Rehearse it with Jordan until you’re ready
Practise the conversation until it feels like the second time, not the first, and walk in with your best words.
- Two full rehearsals: up to 20 turns each, out loud or typed
- On the second, a hint from the coach after each reply
- Your own best lines on a card to take in with you
With the Best value pack (50 credits), 6 credits is about £1.45 · $1.90 · €1.70 · A$2.90. After that, one more go with hints is 2 credits. Private: use made-up names, and nothing you say is kept.
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. The feedback is written by AI from your conversation and is a second pair of eyes, not a verdict on you.
Practice for reflection, not legal or HR advice. If it involves harassment, discrimination, health or safety, talk to HR or ACAS.
The full picture
Jordan is the one everyone wants on shift. Customers love him, the new starters ask for him, and he's the first to say yes when you need something. This month he said yes three times. He offered to build the new seasonal display by Friday, and it's still in boxes. He said he'd sort a swap to cover Saturday, and didn't, so you worked it yourself. He promised to show the new starter the click-and-collect desk, and she found out on her own.
Each time you mentioned it, you got a big smile, a sorry and a "leave it with me". Then nothing. You like him, the team likes him, and that's partly why nobody has said it straight. You've asked him for ten minutes in the back office before his shift on Thursday.
Why it's hard
Jordan isn't lazy and he isn't lying. He means every yes when he says it. That makes it easy to get it wrong in two ways. Go in cold with a list of everything he's missed, and he'll feel the warmth drain out of the room and stop listening. Go in friendly and you'll get swept along: a joke, a new idea for the display, a promise that it'll be done this week, and you'll walk out with exactly what you had before. The skill is doing both. A few seconds of real warmth, then one thing, one date, and Jordan saying it back to you in his own words.
Two-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)What usually goes wrong, and what you'll practise
What usually goes wrong
- Reading out all three misses like a charge sheet, so he hears that you've gone off him.
- Getting pulled into his ideas for the display and running out of time before you've agreed anything.
- Accepting "I'll sort it this week" with no day, no detail and nothing written down.
What you'll practise
- Opening with the person, then getting to the point by your second or third line.
- Naming the pattern with two clear examples and what each one cost the shift, without sounding cold.
- Agreeing one thing and one date, and asking Jordan to say it back so you both know it's real.
Read before you practise
Questions people ask
Shouldn't I just write him up?
Not on a first conversation. He doesn't know yet that it's a pattern, because nobody has told him straight. Say it clearly, agree one thing and a date, and check it. If your workplace has a formal process, talk to your manager or HR before you mention it.
How do I stop the conversation drifting?
Decide the one thing you want agreed before you go in. Let him talk, enjoy it, then bring it back: "Love that. Before we go, the display. Which day?"
Credits here are 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