• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Speechies in Business

Speechies in Business

Helping Speech Pathologists in private practice focus on what matters most: their clients

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Store
    • Practice Templates
    • NDIS Resources
    • Therapy Products
  • Cart
  • Show Search
Hide Search

difficult conversations

Difficult professional conversations: tips to help control emotions

23 August 2022 By David Kinnane Leave a Comment

Many Speech Language Pathologists in private practice are people pleasers, overworked and under-resourced.

Disagreements about priorities, caseloads, workloads and feedback are inevitable. They can feel threatening and stressful. 

When threatened, many of us switch to “fight or flight” mode, making it hard to think rationally and professionally.

We can implement strategies to interrupt this physical response to keep our cool during difficult conversations:

  • Breathe: Focus on the sensation of air coming in and out of your lungs, or your nostrils. Breath in slowly through your nose for a count of 4 and out for a count of 8 through slightly pursed lips, at least three times.
  • Anchor: Notice the feeling of your feet on the ground.
  • Move: If possible, get up and walk around. If this is not possible, do small physical acts like crossing two fingers or slowly touching each finger with your thumb.
  • Use a mantra: Repeat a phrase to yourself to remind yourself to stay calm, e.g. “Go to neutral”. 
  • Label: Name your emotions and examine them, recognising you are not your thoughts. Put space between your (temporary) emotion and your identity.
  • Take a break: excuse yourself for a moment to get some water, coffee, or to go to the bathroom. (This can also help give your conversation partner a chance to cool off and reset.)

Source: Gallo, A. (2017). How to Control Your Emotions During a Difficult Conversation. Harvard Business Review, Digital Edition.

For more on supervision of speech pathologists, check out our book “How to supervise speech pathologists properly in private practice“.

This article also appears in a recent issue of Banter Booster, our weekly round up of the best speech pathology ideas and practice tips for busy speech pathologists and speech pathology students.

Sign up to receive Banter Booster in your inbox each week:

Primary Sidebar

Featured Products

  • Blanks 4 Why Can't Language comprehension booster: Why can't? Blanks Level 4 $4.99 including GST
  • SLP Clinic Templates Manual SLP Clinic Templates Manual $183.72 $128.58 including GST
  • Compound Conjunction Sentence Builders: "For" (a more formal way of saying "because") $4.99 including GST
  • Think, then Write (Volume 7) Think, Then Write (Volume 7): Planning and Organising Research for Long-Form Essays, Assignments and Reports $20.00 including GST
  • client questionnaire for adults Client questionnaire for adults $12.00 including GST
  • Voicemail Script Voicemail Script $1.99 including GST
  • weekly session planner Weekly Session Planner $3.99 including GST
  • Blanks 3: What is it? Semantic feature analysis - describing objects by key attributes $4.99 including GST

Basket

Recent Posts

  • How to navigate conflict with other people
  • Difficult professional conversations: tips to help control emotions
  • For speech pathologists in private practice, professionalism has never been more important
  • Change to short notice cancellations under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2022-23
  • What’s new? The NDIS Provider Emergency and Disaster Management Plan Framework
  • Retain your speech pathologists with better professional development systems

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Phone
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Check out our NDIS provider and health provider resources Go to Store

Speechies in Business

Copyright © 2023 · Banter Speech & Language Pty Limited t/as Speechies in Business

  • Our Terms
  • FAQs about Resources
  • Contact us