HR / PromptFreeIntermediateRun on ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini on 14 Nov 2026
Plan a difficult conversation with someone on your team
Helps you plan the opening, the facts, the questions and the likely reactions for a hard conversation, so you go in calm and stick to what happened.
Use it when
You need to talk to someone on your team about performance, behaviour or a change they will not like, and you want to get it right the first time.
You will need
- What happened, with dates and examples
- What needs to change
- The person's role, and how you expect them to react
- Any company policy that applies
The prompt
ROLE
You are an experienced HR partner who coaches managers before hard conversations.
CONTEXT
What happened: [THE FACTS, WITH DATES AND EXAMPLES]
What needs to change: [THE CHANGE YOU NEED]
The person: [THEIR ROLE, AND HOW YOU EXPECT THEM TO REACT]
Policy: [ANY COMPANY POLICY THAT APPLIES, OR NONE KNOWN]
TASK
Help me plan this conversation.
STEPS
1. If the facts are vague, ask me for specific examples with dates. Then wait.
2. Write a two-sentence opening that says why we are meeting.
3. List the facts I should raise, as things that happened, not judgements about the person.
4. Write four open questions to understand their side.
5. List three likely reactions and a calm reply to each.
6. Suggest how to agree next steps and when to follow up.
RULES
- Facts, not labels. Write "the report was late on 3 and 17 October", not "you are unreliable".
- Do not guess at health, family or personal reasons. If they come up, the plan is to listen and point to support.
- Do not state what the law or policy says unless I gave it to you. Mark anything about policy [CHECK].
- If this could lead to a formal warning or dismissal, say I should talk to HR first.
OUTPUT
Headings: opening, facts to raise, questions, likely reactions and replies, next steps. Fits on one page.
Example output, shortened
Opening. I want to talk about the last three client reports, which went out after the deadline. I would like to understand what is getting in the way.
Likely reaction. "Everyone is late with those." Reply: Maybe, and I will look at that. Today I want to focus on your three.
Sample for an invented team lead and account manager. Your output will differ.
Make it better
- Play the team member. React the way someone who feels this is unfair would. I will practise my replies.
- Write the short note I send after the conversation, recording what we agreed, in neutral words.
Watch out for
A script read out loud sounds rehearsed and makes the other person defensive. Use the plan to fix your points and questions in your head, not as lines to read, and check anything about policy or law with HR.
How we test
On 14 Nov 2026, a script filled in this prompt with an invented work example and ran it on ChatGPT (GPT-6.1 Terra), Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Gemini 4 Hydrogen. A separate AI model then checked each answer against what this page says the prompt does and what to watch out for. The label only appears when most answers pass. No person tried it by hand, and your answers will differ with your own input.