Crucial Conversations
Crucial Conversations
Crucial Conversations: Turn Disagreement into Dialogue
Crucial conversations happen every day across our institution. These are moments when the stakes are high, perspectives differ, and emotions can run strong. How we navigate these interactions has a direct impact on our community, our work, and our shared mission.
Examples of these conversations include:
- Addressing behavior that may be perceived as inappropriate or offensive
- Strengthening communication and collaboration within teams
- Supporting colleagues or direct reports in improving their performance
- Providing thoughtful, constructive feedback to supervisors
- Helping stakeholders better understand policies, expectations, and compliance efforts
- Rebuilding trust and repairing strained professional relationships
Get the Skills to Speak Up When It Matters Most
Developing the skills to engage in these conversations with clarity, respect, and confidence is essential to fostering a positive and productive academic environment.
Whether they occur in the workplace or at home—between colleagues, supervisors, or peers—crucial conversations can have a lasting impact on your professional growth, well-being, and future. When these conversations are avoided or handled ineffectively, they can lead to misunderstandings, strained relationships, and diminished outcomes.
Crucial Conversations® is a professional development course designed to build skills for fostering alignment, mutual understanding, and shared purpose. It focuses on navigating high-stakes, emotionally charged, or complex discussions with confidence and respect—at every level of the institution.
Through this course, participants develop practical skills to:
- Prepare for high-impact conversations with clarity and intention
- Create an environment where open, honest dialogue feels safe and productive
- Communicate persuasively while maintaining respect and professionalism
- Stay engaged and listen effectively, even in moments of strong emotion or disagreement
By strengthening these skills, you can approach challenging conversations more effectively—leading to stronger relationships, better collaboration, and more meaningful results.
Discover Your Communication Style Under Stress
Before enrolling, take a few minutes to reflect on how you respond to challenging conversations. Complete the free Style Under Stress Assessment to gain insight into your communication patterns under pressure.
The assessment takes just five minutes and offers a valuable starting point for building more effective dialogue skills through Crucial Conversations®.
Take the assessment here, then return here to explore the workshop and register.
Course Cost: $331 per person*
Eligibility: You must be a current Florida Gulf Coast University employee (faculty/staff) to enroll in this course.
For group registration: Build shared language and acquire powerful tools for your team. To enroll four or more people, please email before registering.
