Building the Skills, Confidence, and Culture to Have the Conversations That Matter
Navigating Challenging Dialogue® Essentials
In every organization, in every corner of life, moments arise when difficult topics need to be addressed—conflict, feedback, change, uncertainty. Too often, these conversations are avoided, mishandled, or cause unintended harm.
At High 5, we believe courageous communication is a teachable skill and a shared responsibility.
As a certified provider of Beth Wonson’s Navigating Challenging Dialogue framework, we help equip individuals and teams with the mindset, tools, and practice needed to lean into hard conversations with confidence, clarity, and compassion.
Why This Workshop?
Avoiding difficult conversations doesn’t make them disappear—it makes them harder to resolve.
Navigating Challenging Dialogue (NCD) is a toolkit for building trust by developing self-awareness, emotional self-regulation, empathy, and curiosity — the skills necessary to be effective in communication and leadership.
Every participant brings their own real-world challenges to class, conversations that you anticipate may be challenging or which they’ve been dreading. Using the 4-Stage NCD Process, you’ll learn to:
- Navigate difficult conversations with fact-based dialogue
- Improve trust, build connection
- Establish a healthier relationship with the other party
This is Not a Lecture — It's a Lab
With Hands-On Practice:
- Learn the 4-Step NCD Process and how to implement it in their work.
- Learn to use the tools of empathy, curiosity, and accountability to foster trust, build relationships, and engage in healthy communication.
- Leave with a better ability to manage their own emotional reactions while using a fact-based approach to tough conversations.
- Gain insight into how using NCD helps to maintain important relationships even when communication feels risky.
- Work on and receive coaching around the communication challenges that they face day-to-day.
- Acquire new skills that they can use immediately to improve communication, relationships, and work culture.
Who It's For
This workshop is ideal for:
- Teams working in a variety of environments including those that are high-stakes or even emotionally complex
- Leaders looking to create inclusive, communicative, and resilient cultures
- Educators, nonprofit professionals, administrators, and corporate teams alike
- Anyone who’s ever said, “I’m not sure how to say this,” or “I wish we could talk about it.”
Whether you’re preparing for hard conversations or repairing from past ones, this workshop meets your group where you are.
What to Expect
Rooted in experiential learning, the Navigating Challenging Dialogue workshop invites active participation, group dialogue, and guided practice. A typical session includes:
- Groundwork in group norms and psychological safety
- Exploration of communication habits and emotional responses
- Scenario-based roleplays, case studies, and facilitation techniques
- Tools for feedback, de-escalation, and conflict transformation
What You'll Leave With ...
- Greater awareness of their own communication patterns
- Practical tools for navigating emotionally charged or complex conversations
- Increased confidence in giving and receiving feedback
- Strategies to foster inclusivity and belonging in team dialogue
- A shared language for accountability and repair
Most importantly, participants leave with the experience of practicing—not just talking about—hard conversations in real time.
Plus, you’ll get invaluable resources to build long-term success, including:
- An NCD Essentials Student Packet with
All workshop materials (NCD Essentials Workbook, NCD Process Worksheets, and Pre-Work instructions). - A digital copy of the official Navigating Challenging Dialogue® handbook: Turn This Conversation Around: The 4-Stage Process for Communication with Connection by Beth Wonson.
- A digital copy of Mastering Feedback: Everything You’ve Never Been Told About Giving Feedback by Beth Wonson
- Access to the NCD library of professional development resources based on Navigating Challenging Dialogue®.
- A foundation for continued development of your skills in building trust, leading with empathy, and communicating clearly.
2 Ways to Register
Open Enrollment
Offered in a 1-day format, open to the public. You can enroll online right now.
Private Team Workshop*
Available as a custom workshop for your team, group, or organization, held privately so you can work on your most pressing conversations.
At High 5, we believe courageous communication is a teachable skill and a shared responsibility of your entire team. As a certified provider of Beth Wonson’s Navigating Challenging Dialogue framework, we can do a private session with your entire team.
Courageous conversations don’t happen by chance—they happen by choice and practice.
Working with your real-life, day-to-day scenarios, your team will learn to move from avoidance to action, with the mindset, tools, and practice needed to lean into hard conversations with confidence, clarity, and compassion.
Get in touch today to learn how we customize this work for your specific needs.
About the Creator & Facilitator
Interview with Founder, Beth Wonson
VPP guest host Lisa Hunt chats with author and consultant, Beth Wonson, who just published a new book: Mastering Feedback: Everything You Have Never Been Told About How to Give Feedback. Candid feedback empowers people to grow, improve, while acknowledging human aspirational beliefs. That’s the desired outcome of anyone dispensing or receiving feedback.
Interview with Facilitator, Lisa Hunt
Phil Brown and Lisa Hunt discuss the upcoming workshop offering, ‘Navigating Challenging Dialogue,’ exploring its framework, importance, and real-life applications. They delve into the reasons why people avoid difficult conversations, the steps involved in preparing for such dialogues, and the benefits of personal scenarios in workshops.
Featured Blog Posts
Introducing: Navigating Challenging Dialogue® — A New Workshop to Help You Lead Hard Conversations with Confidence
We’ve all been there—those moments when a conversation takes a sharp left turn. Emotions run high, words are misinterpreted, and instead of connection, we find ourselves in confusion or conflict.Whether it’s addressing team tension, managing feedback, navigating differences, or simply saying something that feels difficult, hard conversations are a fact of life—and work.
At High 5 Adventure, we believe communication is a skill you can grow. That’s why we’re so excited to announce our newest training offering.
Expert Insights: Talking Tough Conversations with Lisa Hunt
Let’s be honest—most of us would rather do just about anything other than have a tough conversation. (Clean the fridge? Sure. Reply to 87 unread emails? Why not.) But avoiding the hard stuff doesn’t make it go away—it just makes it harder later. To give you a closer look at our latest workshop, our Director of Team Development and workshop facilitator, Lisa Hunt, joined the Vertical Playpen podcast to explore why tough talks feel so tricky—and how this training helps turn discomfort into growth.Questions?
We appreciate the opportunity to answer any questions you have!
Email us! info@high5adventure.org
Call us! (802) 254-8718