The Feedback and Difficult Conversations Handbook
Management · Nº 24
The Feedback and Difficult Conversations Handbook
Scripts to Praise, Correct, and Say What Nobody Wants to Say
You know exactly which conversation you've been putting off. So does everyone else.
24 tools with scripts for every hard talk at work, one example company followed start to finish, and a spreadsheet that tracks every agreement and its follow-up date.
You get 24 tools to prepare, open, and close the conversations you keep dodging: praise, correction, lateness, a raise you can't give, letting someone go, a customer who won't pay, a partner, a relative. Plus 15 ready-to-use templates and a 6-tab spreadsheet.
A book explains the method. This handbook puts it to work: the tool, a worked example, and a spreadsheet with your numbers.
One-time payment of $29.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.
Your best installer has been showing up late for months. A customer has owed you for six weeks. Your partner keeps making calls without you. You rehearse the conversation in the truck, then don't have it. Then one Tuesday it all comes out at once, in front of the crew, louder than you meant. Everyone goes quiet. A week later, nothing has changed, except now it's awkward too.
THE SPREADSHEET
Conversation and agreement spreadsheet
Use the completed example as a reference and enter your business data in the marked fields. Check the instructions and the calculations before you make a decision.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
Three situations this handbook solves
Sunday night, the week ahead on your mind
You open the spreadsheet and list every conversation you've been avoiding, with what each one costs per month. The order is right there. You schedule the first one for Tuesday, before you head out to the job.
Ten minutes before the talk
You fill in the one-page prep sheet: the facts, your story as a hypothesis, your own part in the problem, the opening line, and the request. You walk in with a plan instead of a speech.
A customer is yelling in front of your crew
You lower your voice and name what they're feeling. They stop. You move the talk somewhere private, explain what happened, and put the new date in writing. Then you log the agreement and its follow-up.
INSIDE
What you'll find in each tool
Five parts. First, preparation: what silence costs you, the three layers of every hard talk, and a one-page prep sheet. Then feedback that changes behavior. Then the tough talks with your team, and with customers, partners, and family. Last, what to do when it heats up: tears, yelling, denial, your own temper, and the written agreement. Every tool has a step by step, a worked example, and a short exercise.
WHAT YOU GET
Everything included in your purchase
- The Feedback and Difficult Conversations Handbook in PDF: 24 tools, each with a step by step, a worked example, and an exercise
- The Conversation and agreement spreadsheet in Excel and Google Sheets, with 6 working tabs, filled in with the example company
- The Template kit: 15 ready-to-use scripts, from opening a difficult conversation to a payment reminder and an agreement record
- 2 worksheets to fill in (conversation prep and agreement follow-up) and a 30-day plan, one week per stage
- Access to your handbook on the Consylion platform
Full table of contents
The 24 tools, in the order you'll use them
Part 1 · Part 1 · Before the conversation
- 01The cost of silencePut a monthly number on every conversation you're avoiding, and pick the first one
- 02The three conversationsWhat happened, what each person feels, and what's really at stake for both of you
- 03Fact, story, and requestSeparate what you saw from what you concluded, before you say a word
- 04One-page prepTen minutes on paper that change how the conversation opens
Part 2 · Part 2 · Feedback that changes behavior
- 05Praise that teachesSpecific praise that makes good work happen again, not a "good job" nobody remembers
- 06Three-part correctionSituation, behavior, and impact, with no labels and no lecture
- 07FeedforwardTalk about what to do next time instead of rehashing what went wrong
- 08Asking your team for feedbackThree questions that get people to tell you what they never say
Part 3 · Part 3 · Conversations with your team
- 09When performance falls shortFind the cause before you hold anyone to account. Often it's on your side
- 10Lateness and absencesHave the talk after the second late arrival, not the tenth
- 11Conduct with customers and coworkersTalk about behavior, never personality
- 12Saying no to a raise requestSay no with criteria and a date, and keep the person
- 13The termination conversationFifteen minutes of respect, clarity, and next steps
Part 4 · Part 4 · Customers, partners, and family
- 14The customer who doesn't payCollect early, with a date, and without the awkwardness
- 15Out-of-scope requestsExtra work becomes a change order, not a favor you eat the cost of
- 16Ending a customer relationshipHow to walk away from a customer who costs you money, and leave the door open
- 17Disagreement between partnersMove from positions to interests and criteria, and write the rule down
- 18Relatives who work in the businessSame rules as the rest of the team, discussed at work, not over Sunday lunch
Part 5 · Part 5 · When the conversation heats up
- 19When the other person cries or explodesName the emotion first, then go back to the topic
- 20When you lose your coolSpot your body's signals and call a 20-minute pause with a set time to come back
- 21When the other person denies or deflectsSilence and attack get the same answer: make it safe to talk
- 22Mediating conflict between coworkersHear both sides, bring them together, and leave with an agreement
- 23The apologyOwn it, repair it, and say what changes from now on
- 24The agreement and the follow-upWhat was decided, in writing, with a date to check back
Who it's for
It's for you if
- You put off the talk with an employee, a customer, or a partner, and watch the problem get bigger every month
- When you finally speak up, it comes out at the wrong time and turns into a lecture, a blowup, or silence
- You want the actual words to praise, correct, collect, and say no, not just advice to "communicate better"
- You have a relative in the business and don't know how to correct them without taking the fight home
- You want every conversation to end with a written agreement and a date to check back
It's not for you if
- You want to delegate, follow up on results, and set up your team's routine. Start with The Leadership Handbook
- You need the process for hiring, performance reviews, warnings, and dismissals. That's The People Management Handbook
- You're dealing with harassment, violence, or an employment lawsuit. That's a job for a lawyer, not a script
- You want something that makes the other person change. This helps you prepare the talk and follow up; the rest is up to them
Frequently asked questions
I'm not a natural talker. Will this still work for me?
That's who it's written for. The handbook doesn't ask you to be charismatic. It gives you a sequence: prepare on paper, separate the fact from your interpretation, talk about the behavior, handle the emotion, and leave with an agreement and a date. The level is beginner.
Will this work for my kind of business?
The example is a renovation company, but every tool shows how it applies to services, retail, manufacturing and distribution, and independent professionals. A late employee, a customer who won't pay, and a partner who decides alone look about the same everywhere.
Can't I just handle these over text message?
Routine messages, yes. A difficult conversation, no: text loses your tone and stays on record. The handbook shows what to say in person and what to put in writing afterward, which is the agreement.
What if the other person refuses to talk, or gets defensive?
There's a tool for that. When someone denies or attacks, the answer is to make it safe to talk: a shared purpose, a contrast line, and a question. If they still won't talk, you state the fact and the effect, in writing if needed, and set another date.
Does this cover the legal side of firing someone?
No. It covers the conversation itself: how to prepare, what to say in fifteen minutes, and when to have a witness. The rules differ from country to country, so check them with your lawyer or accountant. For the paperwork side, see The People Management Handbook.
How much time does this take?
About 2 hours and 24 minutes of reading, or 6 minutes per tool, plus the exercises. Start with Part 1 and prepare your first conversation before you read the rest. The 30-day plan takes you through the backlog one week at a time.
What do I get, and in what formats?
Each handbook is a PDF of about 100 pages with 24 to 27 tools. Every tool has step-by-step instructions and a worked example. You also get the handbook's spreadsheet in Excel (.xlsx), which opens in Google Sheets too, with the example already filled in. The message, policy, and clause templates are in the Template Kit inside the PDF, ready to copy and adapt. Read it in the member area or download the files.
How do I know if it fits my business?
Each handbook's page shows the problem it solves, who it is for and who it is not for, the full table of contents, sample pages, and the company used in the examples. The examples come from small businesses in several industries, with illustrative numbers. If it is not a fit, you can ask for a full refund within 14 days of your purchase, as described in the Refund Policy.
What is the difference between a handbook, an area set, and the Series?
A handbook solves one problem. An area set brings together every handbook and spreadsheet in one of the 6 areas, for less than the price of 5 single handbooks. The Consylion Handbook Series brings together all 100 handbooks and 100 spreadsheets, for less than the price of 8 single handbooks, and includes the next handbooks in the Series. Products outside the Series, from Consylion Life or Consylion Business, have their own price. They are sold separately and are not part of an area set or the Series.
Do I need to read everything before I start?
No. Each tool works on its own. Open the table of contents, pick the tool for today's problem, and start there. You can also read it cover to cover.
Do I need to know Excel?
The basics are enough: open the file and fill in the marked fields. The formulas are already built, and the handbook's example is filled in for reference.
How do I pay, and when do I get access?
By card or bank transfer, as a one-time payment with no subscription. Once your payment is confirmed, you get access to the member area by email. Approved card payments are confirmed right away. Bank transfers are confirmed when the funds clear. If access does not arrive within 24 hours of confirmation, check your spam folder and write to team@consylion.org.
How long do I have access, and how can I use the files?
Access does not expire, and you can download the files for offline use. The license is individual. You may read the handbooks, print them for your own use, and fill in and adapt the spreadsheet and templates with your company's data. If you are a consultant, accountant, or manager, you may apply the tools with your clients and deliver the result of your work, not the files. You may not share, resell, or distribute the files or the access.
How do support and refunds work?
Support is by email at team@consylion.org, on business days, with a reply within 5 business days. It covers questions about access, files, and payment. It does not include consulting or advice on applying the material to your case. You can cancel within 14 days of your purchase, without giving a reason, and get the full amount back through the payment method you used. Send the request to the same email. The details are in the Refund Policy.
CONSYLION HANDBOOK SERIES
The 6 departments of your business, for less than the price of 8 single handbooks.
This handbook solves today's problem. The Series solves the next one, and the one after that, with nothing more to pay.
- 100 handbooks with 2,403 ready-made tools, to read on screen and download as PDFs
- 100 spreadsheets for Excel and Google Sheets
- 6 business areas
- Lifetime access, unlocked once payment is confirmed
One-time payment of $197.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.
Management · Nº 24
Have the conversation before it gets more expensive
Every month you wait, the problem repeats and the talk gets harder. This handbook gives you the scripts, the prep sheet, and a spreadsheet to track every agreement, so you walk into the next hard conversation prepared, on your schedule, and walk out with something in writing.
See all 100 handbooks · $197.00
One-time payment of $29.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.