AI help with Difficult conversations & influence
Script and rehearse the conversation, map the stakeholders. Part of Work & Career — Earning a living inside an organisation.
Start free — standard plans for every area, alwaysWhy this is hard
A conversation can be hard because your request, the facts and the other person's possible reaction get mixed together. Separating those pieces makes the draft easier to inspect. Start with what happened and what you want to ask, without guessing anyone's motives or treating a response as certain.
For difficult conversations & influence, start by describing the part that is awkward in your own words. A broad goal can contain several different tasks. Choose the one you want to draft now, then add the obstacle and the time you can spend. You do not need a complete story to begin.
You can skip a question that does not fit. An unanswered detail should stay unknown. If you want a different tone, choose Plain English or change your own description before using the draft. The structure comes from the topic; the facts should come from you.
What you'll get
Stakeholder map
Stakeholder map
Script
Script for the conversation
Rehearsal prompts
Rehearsal with objections
Plan
Visibility plan
What good looks like
Check that the opening uses your facts, the replies leave room for the other person and the close asks for a clear next step. Remove promises you cannot keep. Read the lines in your own voice: a script is optional wording, not a speech you must deliver or a prediction of agreement.
For “Stakeholder map”, the stakeholder map gives you a piece to read and adapt. Check it against your answers, mark anything that needs a fact you have not supplied and decide whether it is the next piece you actually need. Keep only what fits your situation.
For “Script for the conversation”, the script gives you a piece to read and adapt. Check it against your answers, mark anything that needs a fact you have not supplied and decide whether it is the next piece you actually need. Keep only what fits your situation.
For “Rehearsal with objections”, the rehearsal prompts gives you a piece to read and adapt. Check it against your answers, mark anything that needs a fact you have not supplied and decide whether it is the next piece you actually need. Keep only what fits your situation.
For “Visibility plan”, the plan gives you a piece to read and adapt. Check it against your answers, mark anything that needs a fact you have not supplied and decide whether it is the next piece you actually need. Keep only what fits your situation.
Read more
Read: How to use AI for difficult work conversationsA guide to this topic
AI for difficult work conversationsExample artifact
Example · fictional person · Stakeholder map
Stakeholder map
You get a one-page brief on stakeholder map: the situation, your options and a recommended next step. Because time is the pinch, the stakeholder map is built to be used in short sittings: AI drafts stakeholder map first, and you spend your minutes correcting rather than starting from blank. Because you also named not sure where to start, it starts with one clear question. Plan to have a first version in place this month and review it once.
Situation: your goal is "Make steady progress without it taking over my week"; what gets in the way: not enough time and not sure where to start; about 60 minutes a week. Options: (a) start small with stakeholder map this month; (b) get outside help first; (c) wait and review in a month. Recommendation: option (a) — one 20-minute session, then decide.
This example uses made-up answers (goal: steady progress; obstacles: time and knowing where to start). Yours is built from your own answers.
What we'll ask you
- Which conversation are you avoiding, and with whom?
- What do they want, as far as you can tell?
- What is your biggest fear about it?
Questions
Can a script predict their response?
No. It can give wording and possible replies for you to review, but it cannot know what another person thinks. Use your actual context and avoid presenting assumptions as facts. For formal or unsafe situations, seek the appropriate support rather than relying on a script.
What details make the wording specific?
Name the situation, your request, the other person's role and the tone you want. Leave out identifying details you do not need to share. Check each commitment in the draft before using it and rewrite any phrase that does not sound like something you would say.
Can I skip something personal?
Yes. Skip any question and use Plain English if you prefer. Standard plans across every area are free, with no card. You can begin with a fictional situation to inspect the structure, then decide which details you are comfortable using. Voice depends on your browser.