Quick Vocabulary & Pronunciation — Difficult Conversations

Eight words for difficult conversations. Tap a card to see the meaning and an example, and press the speaker to hear it.

to put off

to delay something unpleasant that you should do

I put off that conversation for three months and it got worse.

to disengage

to lose interest and commitment in your work

People who see nothing being done simply disengage.

head-on

directly, without avoiding the problem

It is better to deal with it head-on than to hint at it for weeks.

warning

a formal statement that behaviour must change

This is not a warning, it is a conversation. But I want to be clear.

to back down

to stop insisting on something

I am not going to back down on the deadline, but I can help with the workload.

to raise an issue

to bring a problem into a conversation

I would rather raise it now than in six months.

fair

treating people equally and reasonably

The rule has to be the same for everyone, otherwise it is not fair.

record

a written note of what was said and agreed

I will write a short record and send it to you this afternoon.