GoKawiilFew managerial duties are harder than telling an employee their performance is falling short, they won't get the raise they expected or their job is being eliminated. Uncomfortable workplace conversations are unlikely to go away. But new AI coaching tools can help managers deliver hard messages, especially in the preparation phase before these sticky conversations take place.
To be sure, delivering hard news is an area where many managers need help — especially those early on in their careers. A July survey fielded by The Predictive Index, which offers a text-based chatbot, Obi, that assists with role-playing, coaching and preparing managers for difficult conversations, found that while 74% of CEOs and business leaders say their managers are "very confident" handling tough people conversations on their own, 42% of managers say they know what they want to say but struggle with how to say it.
What's more, only 20% of managers say they prefer to prepare for a difficult conversation on their own, without a framework, a coaching guide or input from HR. The survey found that top blind spots for managers include delivering criticism constructively, anticipating an employee's reaction and staying objective.
"Spontaneity is not a goal of a high-stakes work conversation," said Emily DeJeu, a professor of business communication at The Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. "You want to know the executive has really thoughtfully prepared for an important conversation."
There are a variety of free and paid tools on the market, and features may vary. For instance, some offer text-only interactions, while others are voice-enabled. Some incorporate certain employee data such as personality profiles to help better prepare the AI, while others are more generic. These tools can offer instruction to improve the manager's tone, delivery or message. Regardless of the tool, the goal is not to automate the people process but to allow the manager to practice delivering hard messages and simulate how a person might react in a specific scenario. It's better than talking in front of the mirror, because you can actually get feedback, DeJeu said.
Role-playing tense office chats before real life
Managers can run multiple scenarios to prepare for hard conversations. In a first round, they might ask the AI to simulate an employee who reacts angrily to the manager's guidance. They might then ask the AI to simulate an emotional employee. Practicing multiple scenarios can be useful "because you don't know what real life will throw at you," said Karan Kashyap, co-founder and chief executive of Posh, which offers an AI role-play training tool for businesses.
Managers often find their overall communication improves by doing these drills. "It's like batting practice," said John Morgan, president at LHH, a human resources consulting firm that offers an AI coaching tool through a subsidiary. The only way you're going to get better is practice, but you only get so many chances in the real world.
Another advantage is that the tools are accessible 24/7, so if you want to practice at midnight on a Sunday, you can, whereas a human coach isn't always available on a whim. "Most companies aren't hiring 500 coaches for 500 managers," said Casey Schaffer, founder of Definitions Coaching and Consulting.
AI works best when it has specific parameters and context. For example, you can tell the AI tool you want to role-play a scenario in which you have to give feedback to a sensitive employee who is habitually late to work. Managers could also tell the AI to grade them on specific measures, offer critical feedback on their message or flag if they move into risky topics from a legal perspective, said Megan Barbier, chief human resources officer at Xactly, whose text- and voice-based AI tool Penny gives managers tailored scripts and real-time coaching guidance. Managers could also ask for feedback about tone, or tell the AI tool they are trying to be more direct and ask for constructive criticism on whether the language is concise, Barbier said.
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