The Conversation Guild

The Conversation Guild: 37 cards for the conversations managers dread

Most managers learn hard conversations the hard way. The Conversation Guild gives you the words for those moments, plus a thinker's idea that explains why they work.

Each card covers a real situation: denying a raise, a second missed deadline, a team member showing signs of burnout, two colleagues who won't cooperate. Every card gives you:

• The moment: when you need this card
• Lens: the idea behind the approach
• Open with: a first line you can say word for word
• Not this: the common phrase that backfires
• Ask: one question that hands the conversation over
• Afterward: the follow-through step that makes it stick

Six suits, six patron thinkers

The cards are grouped into six suits, each guided by a thinker whose idea shapes every card in it:

• Opening, with Socrates
• Feedback, with Aristotle
• Conflict, with Mary Parker Follett
• Hard news, with Epictetus
• Wellbeing, with Simone Weil
• Growth, with Montaigne

A script without a reason breaks under pressure. A reason lets you improvise.

What's included (PDF download)

• The card deck: 37 cards, one per page, ready to use on screen or print
• Facilitator kit: a complete 3.5-hour workshop, "Hard Conversations, Good Work," for 8–16 managers. It includes an agenda, step-by-step facilitator notes, debrief questions, and virtual and self-study variations.
• Three handouts: a conversation planner, an observer sheet, and a four-week practice challenge
• Cut-out sheets: 30 "Not this" slips and pile labels for the workshop's opening exercise

Who it's for

• New and experienced managers who want better 1:1s and fewer avoided conversations
• HR and L&D professionals looking for a ready-to-run leadership workshop
• Trainers and coaches who work with teams

License: For use by one manager or facilitator. For team or organization-wide use, contact info@fortekigi.com for a license.

A German edition, Die Gesprächsgilde, is also available.