4 Days to Turn
Your Toughest Exchanges
into Drivers of Performance
I help managers who dread difficult conversations to handle them with calm, clarity and authority—even in an international setting.
In an intensive four-day course you will learn to deal with sensitive topics and high-stakes exchanges while factoring in cultural, linguistic and hierarchical differences.
No canned scripts.
No empty theory.
Just the craft of saying the right thing—with courage, nuance and impact.
Are you a capable leader … but ill-at-ease when tempers flare?
Everything’s fine when relationships are smooth. But the moment conflict enters the room, a whole host of negative consequences can hit your organisation:
- Talent drain – Fear of conflict keeps people from asserting themselves.
- Toxic culture – Unspoken issues create silos, suspicion and tension.
- Fragile managers – Young leaders don’t dare set boundaries.
- Blocked decisions – Disagreement is seen as risk, not richness.
- Lost know-how – Seniors can no longer make themselves heard.
- Warring clients – Complaints escalate into confrontation.
- Sterile meetings – People don’t say what they think.
- Failed reviews – Evaluations cause stress, not progress.
If this sounds like what’s happening in your organisation, then you may benefit from the DECISIVE DIALOGUES program.
The program consists of a Breakthrough Sequence (2 immersive days) and a Deep-Dive Sequence (4 half-days), in which you and your collegues will learn to:
✓ Recognize the needs and emotions at play
✓ Adapt your voice, posture, silence and tempo
✓ Clarify the intentions behind every conflict
✓ Structure exchanges toward a constructive outcome
✓ Develop a leadership stance in dialogue
✓ Become a model of calm, listening and impact
About Richard Doust
Public speaking & presence coach | Actor | Musician | Researcher
PhD in Storytelling • Fluent in 5 languages • 10+ years coaching leaders in Europe.
Richard blends Anglo-Saxon rigour, Italian presence, and deep emotional intelligence. He helps high-level professionals speak English not only with competence — but with charisma, clarity and impact.
Vision: Empowering a new generation of French-speaking leaders to inspire confidently in English — without compromising who they are.
Values: Humanity, clarity, commitment, bold thinking, and intelligent humour
Brands we have worked with
Become a “dialogic” leader.
Picture your team in just 4 days…
-
turning a customer dispute into a trust-building moment
-
turning performance reviews into energising conversations
-
calmly defusing client objections with crystal clarity
-
managers saying what matters, without being aggressive
-
meetings that are livelier and more effective
-
an atmosphere of flow, autonomy and accountability
-
tensions becoming springboards for collaboration
-
team members become role models of clear expression and active listening
The method?
....The delicate art of 'difficult conversation' simulation with a professional actor specially trained for the exercise, followed up by in-depth feedback and coaching.
Coach-Acting:
a true-to-life
conversation experience
for all participants
a true-to-life
conversation experience
for all participants
Briefing
The participant describes a real-life situation and assigns a role to the coach-actor — whether it’s a client, manager, colleague, supplier, or someone else.
Simulation
An immersive 10–12 minute simulation between the participant and the coach-actor — as close to real life as it gets.
Feedback session
Feedback session: participant → colleagues → coach-actor → collective synthesis
Setting up of action steps
Conclude with the consequences
