Free templateStaff Management

Difficult Conversation Planner

A two-page Lunch & Learn worksheet for preparing a hard conversation. ‘Before The Conversation’ has four questions with writing lines — the issue, what you have observed (facts only), the impact and the outcome you hope for — followed by a Conversation Starter sentence to complete and a Follow-Up Plan.

Format: Printable PDF · A4
Pages: 2
Best for: Directors · supervisors · room leads
Updated: Oct 2026

Download free template See what’s inside

No sign-up required. Print it and share it with your team — it’s free for any child care program to use.

Preview of the Difficult Conversation Planner

What’s inside

Three parts: prepare, open the conversation, follow up

Before The ConversationFour questions, each with three writing lines: ‘What issue needs to be discussed?’, ‘What have I observed? (Facts only)’, ‘What impact is it having?’ and ‘What outcome am I hoping for?’
Conversation StarterA sentence to complete — “I’ve noticed ____ and I’d like to better understand what’s happening.” — with two lines beneath it for your own wording.
Follow-Up PlanTwo closing questions with writing lines: ‘What support is needed?’ and ‘When will I follow up?’

How to use it

Four steps to put it to work this week

1
Fill in page one before you meetName the issue in one or two sentences, then list only what you have seen or heard yourself under ‘Facts only’, with dates where you have them.
2
Write the impact and the outcomeNote who is affected and how, then the outcome you are hoping for. Keeping the outcome specific gives the conversation a clear end point.
3
Complete the Conversation StarterPut one observed fact in the blank after “I’ve noticed”. The printed sentence then asks to understand what is happening, so pause and listen.
4
Finish the Follow-Up PlanAgree what support is needed and write a date under ‘When will I follow up?’ before the conversation ends.

Tips from operators

What centers that use this well do differently

Learned the hard way across 3,000 child care spaces — and from the directors and educators who join our Lunch & Learns and Learning Labs.

Separate facts from opinions

“Arrived after 8:15 on three days this week” is a fact; “doesn’t care about the job” is an opinion. Only the first belongs in the observed section.

Choose a private time and place

Hold the conversation away from children, families and other staff, and allow enough time that neither of you is rushed back to the room.

Store completed planners privately

The notes concern a named person. Keep them with your other staff or family records, not on a shared desk.

Do it digitally in ChildFriendly Pro

Staff files, hours and reviews that keep themselves current

ChildFriendly Pro keeps every educator’s certifications, clearances, PD hours, timecards and review notes in one HR file — with expiry alerts, ratio-aware scheduling and wage top-up hours grouped by level.