Overview

Early resolution of conflict can help maintain working relationships and resolve disputes before they escalate leading to grievances. Participants will be empowered with the communication skills and confidence to hold those difficult early resolution conversations to achieve the best outcome possible.

Common challenges addressed at the workshop may include:

• Recognising the signs of potential conflict, assessing the situation and providing appropriate intervention
• Prevent conflict from escalating by having effective early resolution conversations
• Understand common causes of workplace conflict and how to use communication to defuse situations
• Create strategies for dealing with different types of conflict
• Handle and respond to strong emotions and difficult behaviour with confidence, care and compassion
• Plan and prepare for challenging conversations with colleagues
• Listen and view situations from other peoples’ perspectives
• Encourage employees to communicate their problems openly, honestly and respectfully
• Give and receive feedback in a non-defensive way
• Try to resolve the barriers for conducting uncomfortable or difficult conversations
• Understanding your own biases and triggers
• Managing your own reactions, staying objective and non-judgemental

Learning Outcomes

EC4H courses help you have difficult conversations with more confidence and skill, improving the impact you have on others, and your own emotional resilience and job satisfaction:

• Learn how to anticipate the normal psychological reactions you will encounter in the people you communicate with
• Develop self-awareness and your ability to self-manage when having difficult conversations
• Target the personal learning objectives you have identified, based on the communication challenges you face in your role
• Develop strategies for addressing communication challenges as a supportive peer-learning group, with skilled facilitators guiding you through experimenting and problem-solving together

Pre-workshop Preparation

Workshop participants have found it useful to think about how they currently communicate and what situations are particularly challenging. As the workshop is based on participants’ own situations we will be asking what you would like to work on.

Please complete the pre-workshop evaluation as soon as possible as we use this information to plan the content of your workshop.

Tutor Team

Professor Belinda Hacking

EC4H Lead Tutor

Professor Belinda Hacking set up EC4H in 2002 and has led the development of this national training network. She has worked with professionals in healthcare across the UK developing the EC4H coaching and training programmes in clinical communication.  Until January 2025, Belinda worked for NHS Lothian as the Director of Psychology.  Belinda has a special interest in shared decision-making in healthcare and has more than 40 publications focusing on psychological adjustment in palliative care, clinical communication and shared decision making. HCPC accredited. She was awarded as a Research Fellow to the Open University in June 2025 and as an Honorary Professor to Edinburgh University in October 2025.  Prof. Hacking continues to work as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and has a busy clinical practise, alongside her teaching, coaching and research roles.  British Psychological Society membership: 33194

Dr Ruth Stocks

EC4H Tutor

Dr Ruth Stocks is the Profession Lead Psychologist in Forensic Mental in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde.  Ruth joined the EC4H tutor team in 2025.