Session 9 (Closing Keynote): Tackling Tough Conversations with Confidence 
Date: Saturday, May 6, 2023
Time: 11:00am

Session description:

Conversations about missed deadlines, quality of work, misunderstandings, expectations, and feedback can feel awkward and uncomfortable. Worse, many leaders avoid them altogether, leaving much unsaid, doing more harm than good, and costing companies millions in lost production, turnover, and disengagement.

Are you a leader who uses email or text instead of phone or face-to-face communication for tough conversations? You know, the ones where there might be conflict or tough news to deliver — and you’re finding it’s not effective? Messages are misinterpreted, blown out of proportion, feelings get hurt, and relationships are damaged.

Step out from behind the screen and learn:

  • How to not only get through but feel confident in every challenging conversation
  • The top 3 secrets to preparing for any difficult situation
  • The art and science of giving and receiving meaningful feedback

Erin Thorp – Author, Speaker, and Coach

Erin Thorp is an Author, Speaker, and Coach for leaders who struggle with conflict communication and performance during high-stress times. She supports leaders in navigating difficult conversations, building powerful teams, and communicating with empathy so they can lead confidently.

She believes emotional intelligence and technical excellence aren’t mutually exclusive. Both skill sets are imperative to becoming the confident, compassionate leader your team will eagerly follow.

With 20 years working in a male-dominated engineering and construction industry, leading teams and delivering projects, Erin noticed that her colleagues were highly skilled and cared deeply about their work, but most were incapable of fully holding their own emotions and therefore unable to hold the emotions of others.

The skills often categorized as “soft” — connection, empathy, vulnerability — are actually the most difficult to learn but are key to creating leaders who make an impact in their personal lives, their companies, and the world.

There’s no “one-size-fits-all” approach to leadership; a leader must discover and develop their own emotional intelligence and unique way of leading so they can have great results and even greater relationships.

As an engineer turned speaker, Erin gets it. She brings jam-packed sessions with actionable strategies, hilarious stories, and relatable anecdotes to come back to long after the discussion ends.

Erin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Calgary and is an Associate Certified Coach through Integral Coaching Canada. She currently lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with her husband and their three children — where they aren’t afraid to talk about their feelings.