# Coach a manager before they have a difficult conversation with an employee

Gives an HR partner a coaching plan and checklist to prepare a manager for a tough employee conversation without creating legal risk.

- Topic: HR & Hiring
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Leadership, HR & Hiring, Communication, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/coach-a-manager-before-they-have-a-difficult-conversation-with-an

## Prompt

```text
Help me coach a manager I support before they have a difficult conversation with someone on their team.

**The manager:** [experience level, how they tend to handle conflict]
**The employee and situation:** [role, tenure, what happened - facts, dates]
**Goal of the conversation:** [e.g. address behavior, deliver tough feedback, discuss attendance, set expectations]
**What's already documented:** [prior conversations, warnings, emails]
**Sensitivities:** [e.g. recent leave, complaint raised by the employee, health issue mentioned, protected characteristic]

Give me:
1. **Risk check** - anything in the situation that suggests possible retaliation, discrimination, or leave/accommodation issues, and whether HR should be in the room. Mark [CONFIRM WITH LEGAL] where relevant.
2. **Coaching questions** I can ask the manager to sharpen their thinking (e.g. "What specifically did you observe?").
3. **Conversation outline for the manager** - opening line, the facts, the impact, the expectation, listening prompts, close and next steps.
4. **Phrases to avoid** and better alternatives (vague labels, assumptions about motive, comments on personal life or health).
5. **If it goes sideways** - how to respond to tears, anger, or "I'm going to file a complaint."
6. **After the conversation** - what the manager should write down within 24 hours.

Keep it practical; the manager should be able to read it in five minutes.
```

## What to fill in

- experience level, how they tend to handle conflict
- role, tenure, what happened - facts, dates
- prior conversations, warnings, emails
- CONFIRM WITH LEGAL

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.