Your guide to difficult conversations

Start with Rowan, your spoken coach

Choose Learn with Rowan on web or Start here: learn with Rowan on Quest. Rowan is an AI coach; Alex remains the employee in your practice. Listen to one idea at a time, or read the same text. Pause, replay, go back, continue, or skip to practice. This is our authored practice approach, not a validated framework or assessment.

Try one opening sentence with Rowan before the full conversation. The coach gives a short correction based on your words. Repeat if useful, then continue to Alex. On Quest, A or B finishes the coach rehearsal. After practice, hear the summary from practice options, or use left X (P on desktop) to hear/pause it. The full written guide below remains available.

The scenario: missed deadlines

Your role: Alex Morgan’s manager. Alex is a capable analyst. Her last two weekly reports arrived on Monday instead of Friday, delaying the client review. You have asked to discuss the problem.

Your goal: explain the facts and impact, understand what got in the way, and agree a workable next step. You do not yet know the cause. Ask rather than assuming carelessness or lack of effort.

Alex may initially sound guarded. Listen to what she actually says. There is no single perfect script; respectful, clear approaches can differ. Success involves a useful discussion and a practical agreement, not forcing Alex to say yes.

1. Prepare a clear opening

Name an observable event and its effect. Avoid labels and guesses about intent.

The last two reports arrived Monday instead of Friday. That delayed our client review. Can we explore what happened?

2. Ask and listen

Ask one open question and let Alex finish. Explore the problem before proposing a solution. Summarize and check your understanding.

What got in the way? … Have I understood that correctly?

3. Acknowledge and clarify

Recognize the difficulty while keeping the expectation clear. Acknowledgment does not mean agreeing that the missed deadline is acceptable.

That sounds difficult. We still need the report by Friday. What would help you flag a conflict earlier?

4. Agree a workable plan

Clarify who does what, by when, who resolves competing priorities, and when you will check in. Ask whether the proposal works for Alex. A proposal is not an agreement until you have checked it together.

5. Review, then retry a focused moment

End practice to see one strength and one priority. Detailed feedback is available if you want it. Choose Retry this moment, review the cue and goal, then start voice or typed practice.

A retry begins at an authored starting point for the selected skill, such as Alex describing conflicting requests. It is a short reconstruction of the learning moment, not a recording replay. Try 1–3 responses, then end for fresh feedback. Take longer if needed. Each attempt has a separate transcript, and its feedback evaluates only that attempt.

Check transcription errors before relying on feedback. AI coaching may be wrong; it is practice guidance, not a validated assessment or an employment decision.

6. Prepare for the real conversation

Open the preparation card to draft your opening, questions, expectation, and proposed next step. Adapt it to the real facts before use. Do not assume that a proposed action has already been agreed.

On web, edit the four fields freely. Save in this browser or download a text card if you choose. Clear the saved card on shared devices. These edits do not change Alex’s fictional scenario and are not sent with your conversation or coaching request.

On Quest, choose a field with A, then cycle three suggested wordings with the right trigger. Choices stay on that headset. Web provides free-text editing and download; cards do not sync between devices.

Web controls

Start conversation: permit microphone access and speak naturally. Use headphones. Mute stops microphone transmission; End & get feedback stops the session. Start without microphone enables typed replies. For a focused retry, use its dedicated voice or typed start button.

Sessions last up to 10 minutes. The web timer starts at connection. If the connection fails, the microphone stops; start again when ready.

Quest controls

• Rowan lessons: right trigger hears/replays the lesson; A moves forward; B goes back; left X pauses/resumes. At step 7, right trigger opens the voice exercise notice. Confirm, wait for Rowan, then hold right trigger to speak and release to send. Your microphone is not needed to listen.
• Menus: A chooses the next option; right trigger selects; B goes back.
• Practice: hold right trigger to record, release to send. Wait for Alex to finish. A connects/reconnects. Each turn supports up to 60 seconds.
• Feedback: B on the right controller finishes practice, then advances debrief pages. A highlights a debrief option; right trigger selects it. Choose Hear Rowan: this page, Retry this moment, Return to menu, or More: preparation / new practice.
• Retry brief: A changes brief page; right trigger starts the new attempt; B returns.
• At any time: Y or left Menu opens the home menu and stops the conversation.

On Quest, open Account & sessions and select Connect / link device to connect your Meta account. To use the web companion, select Web linking & privacy → Create web linking code on Quest, then enter the code under Link from Quest on web. Settings include captions, text size, voice volume and recenter. Sessions last up to 10 minutes.

Use safely and thoughtfully

Alex is AI. Use fictional workplace details. For threats, harassment, discrimination or immediate safety issues, follow your workplace’s reporting and support procedures. These practice techniques are not a substitute for those procedures.