High-Stakes Conversations Training by Bodhih, customised to your team and delivered in person or live virtual.
- Delivered in person at your location or as live virtual sessions
- Designed with the ADDIE model and evaluated for behaviour change
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Where and how: high-stakes conversations training as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
High-stakes conversations training is an in-depth understanding of the high-stakes conversations process including verbal and non-verbal communication skills and client responsiveness mindset.
Bodhih’s workshop on Handling High-Stakes Conversations consists of a high-stakes conversations workbook, a practical conversation framework, a certificate of completion, and high-stakes conversation skills.
When one practices proactive communications, they are having high-stakes conversations as in answering questions before they are asked and handle complaints before they are made. By tackling problems before they turn into crises, you improve relationships with customers and raise efficiency in your organization. Simply churning out memos and press releases isn’t good enough: Effective proactive and high-stakes conversations requires thought and well-crafted messages.
The Bodhih’s workshop on high-stakes conversations helps participants take action and resolve crisis using communication and also staying firm and calm during assertive conversations.
High-stakes conversations are the elementary skills that are practiced by individuals in their daily pursuits of excellence. It is through continued efforts and fine-tuning that the importance of these conversations becoming apparent. When basics of high-stakes conversations are practiced, then practitioners start to become better at business communication by getting assertive, in fact using assertiveness as a tool to deal with critical work situations and developing vital skills for internal and external stakeholders that lead to solid business relationships.
High-stakes conversations training begins with an overview of high-stakes conversations and why they start with clear intent
Bodhih’s High-Stakes Conversations program has been developed to provide the art of saying ‘no’, displaying empathy, and ensuring that channels of communication stay open during stressful situations.
Bodhih’s workshop for High-Stakes Conversations is used by learners for understanding what the elements of effective client handling are, the goals of written communication, determine outcomes and actions of communication exchanges, listening and improved understanding skills, Accent, listening and verbal & non-verbal communication.
High-stakes conversation skills and high-stakes conversation steps go hand in hand.
Bodhih’s High-Stakes Conversations workshop starts with facilitator led presentation, individual reflection, class exercises to establish effective client handling conversations that include written communication, spoken communications, presentation skills and client responsiveness. These elements are taken piece by piece and their definitions, dos and don’ts, simulation exercises with real world examples, and best practices are done by the class.
Bodhih’s facilitators are seasoned professionals who create linkages between skills picked up in the workshops and then to apply them in participant’s current roles.
This is done through specific illustrations and analogies and is true for the session at the High-Stakes Conversations training – active listening and improved understanding.
In this module, through facilitator led presentations, individual reflection, and group discussion, participants approach the concepts of reduced misunderstanding, clarification techniques, and approaches to prevent breakdown in the communication channels. The relationship between active listening and enhanced communication ability is established in the section. Good listening always ensures that channels are kept open and accuracy with depth is maintained during the entire length of communication. High-stakes conversations sessions also employ video recordings to demonstrate the real-world behaviour for participants to reinforce their understanding and solidify their practice.
The module thereafter progresses to explaining outcomes and results. The topics of introduction and ending, logical order, ideas and key points, are brought up for the class learners. Real world case study, Facilitator led presentation and group discussions are used to surface the theory and practice of outcomes. Participants are encouraged in their workbook exercise to clarify the purpose of their communications and intended outcomes before they begin. Tips and tools are shared that structure written communication in a way that it maximises our ability to make a strong impression.
High-Stakes Conversations workshop, next moves to the session Verbal and non-Verbal communication that differentiates between formal and informal language, the best practices of telephonic conversations, and presentation meetings – various language tools are introduced and experimented with so learners gain certain level of confidence to apply them at work. Activity based and with case studies, and role plays, participants gain the critical knowledge how appropriate body language enhances the impact of communication for a speaker as well as a listener.
At Bodhih, High-Stakes Conversations is a popular session that is part of a larger Communication skills training suite.
The session brings latest research done on successful conversational dynamics as sourced from management consulting case studies.
The heart of Bodhih’s High-Stakes Conversations in the workplace training lies in the powerful session – foundations of a client responsiveness mindset.
Participants are instructed on practical techniques that is to be used on day to day basis to understand the fundamentals of customer responsiveness and dispel common myths. The sections of moments that matter in client conversations, discerning customer feelings and needs, and knowing the important role professionalism plays in customer responsiveness mindset, learners are invited by the Bodhih’s facilitator to explore and make their own conclusions through supplied inputs and resources. Workbook activity is used to document insights and also jot action plans for later use.
The session progresses through individual reflection and instructor led presentation that finally wraps the workshop with details on “value creation through quality of client responsiveness”. The group exercises on supplied case study and delayers the multiple kinds of customers and their behavioural elements thereby preparing to employ appropriate resources of quality, excellence and value in their client engagements.
How would you gain from India’s best High-Stakes Conversations program at Bodhih?
Bodhih customizes its High-Stakes Conversations course along the ADDIE model. Workshop experiences are analysed, designed, developed and delivered that are solution focused and include a range of blended training pedagogy such as role plays, group exercises, self-assessment tools, management games, individual activities, videos, case studies, facilitation, discussions and more.
In addition to the ADDIE model, the High-Stakes Conversations sessions takes advantage of the experiential adult-learning process of concrete experience – reflective observation – abstract conceptualization – active experimentation.
The edge in Bodhih’s High-Stakes Conversations session comes from researched industry learnings, current best practices and academic insights. The workshop takeaways ensure that learnings are grasped and applied at all levels within a company and its individuals. The long-term benefits are to institutionalise high-stakes conversation fundamentals by embedding verbal & non-verbal behaviours, setting realistic outcomes and techniques to adopt client responsiveness orientation to their daily activities.
What is Bodhih’s promise on High-Stakes Conversations workshops?
Managers across industries and functions and executive level participants who have attended Bodhih’s sessions on High-Stakes Conversations in the workplace talk of the changed individual and team behaviours, namely, demonstrating higher mastery for written and spoken communication that avoids dip in energy, increases attention to searching shared meaning, opens up the mutual value exchange opportunities in the communication cycle.
Sample training plan: 2-day hands-on design
This two-day workshop prepares professionals for the conversations where stakes are high, opinions differ and emotions rise, with clients, colleagues and senior stakeholders. Participants bring one conversation they have been avoiding. They learn to spot when a talk turns high-stakes, stay calm, say no with empathy, listen until the other side feels understood, and keep the channel open. Day two moves to clients: proactive bad-news calls, written escalations and a capstone escalation room that runs a client crisis from first email to resolution meeting.
Participants can notice pressure building, keep a tense conversation open and say no without damaging the relationship.
- 09:30–10:00The sealed envelopeEnergiser
- 10:00–10:45When it turns high-stakesDiagnostic
- 11:00–11:30Keeping the channel openConcept burst
- 11:30–13:00Stay firm, stay calmRole-play
- 13:45–14:45The art of saying noSkill drill
- 14:45–15:30Listen until they feel heardPeer coaching
- 15:45–16:45The avoided conversation, round oneReal-play
- 16:45–17:30Evening reflectionReflection
Participants can raise bad news early, handle a client escalation in writing and in person, and hold their avoided conversation with confidence.
- 09:30–10:00What happened overnightFeedback round
- 10:00–11:00Bad news before they find itDemo & practice
- 11:15–12:15The escalation emailHands-on lab
- 12:15–13:00Client handling under fireFishbowl
- 13:45–15:00Capstone: the escalation roomSimulation
- 15:15–16:30The avoided conversation, full runReal-play
- 16:30–17:30Opening the envelopeAction planning
Every session’s activity, timings, outputs and materials, plus pre-work, a 90-day reinforcement plan and how impact is measured. Free, emailed to you instantly.
Recommended: 2 days in person (09:30–17:30), or 5 × 3-hour live virtual sessions over three weeks, plus a 60-day follow-up. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis.
How long is high-stakes conversations training?
The recommended design is two days in person, from 09:30 to 17:30, with a 60-day follow-up. It also runs as five live virtual sessions of three hours over three weeks, with a real conversation held between sessions. A one-day version suits teams focused on client escalations.
What activities are included in high-stakes conversations training?
Participants name a conversation they are avoiding in a sealed envelope, practise staying calm against pressure cards, and drill saying no with an alternative. They write a reply to a real client complaint, take turns in a fishbowl with a furious client, and manage a three-stage client crisis in the escalation room.
Frequently asked questions
What is high-stakes conversations training?
High-stakes conversations training at Bodhih is a customised, practical program. High-Stakes Conversations Training by Bodhih, customised to your team and delivered in person or live virtual.
Who is the High-Stakes Conversations Training program for?
Professionals and managers who want to communicate with clarity and impact. Bodhih tailors the examples, case studies and depth to your industry, culture and team level.
How long is the High-Stakes Conversations Training program?
Bodhih tailors the duration and depth to your goals and team, from focused workshops to multi-session learning journeys. Share your requirement and we will recommend a format.
Can High-Stakes Conversations Training be delivered online?
Yes. High-Stakes Conversations Training can run in person at your location, as live virtual sessions for distributed or hybrid teams, or as a blended journey that adds self-paced learning on Bodhih.org between sessions.
How is the impact of High-Stakes Conversations Training measured?
Success measures for High-Stakes Conversations Training are agreed with you before design, as part of the ADDIE model. Bodhih can add pre- and post-program assessments on AssessAll and manager check-ins to track behaviour change.