When people around you are overstepping your boundaries and making your life stressed and unbearable, you have to speak up. The conversations may be difficult but having them is the only way to resolve these situations. One thing is certain. The longer you delay, the more difficult the conversations will be.

Sometimes you have to step back from relationships with colleagues and take time to sort out communication problem before you can work effectively together. It means slowing down now so you can go faster in the future.

It is easy to talk when the topic is not sensitive, when the other person is not defensive and when you are not feeling threatened. The three ideas in this article will help you plan difficult conversations so you can step up to them with confidence.

Learn how to speak up about things that trouble you. If you do not, problems continue unresolved, communication suffers and as you become more stressed about the situation, the relationship deteriorates.

Many organisations have detailed processes and documentation for managers to use when they carry out appraisal interviews. Often it is computerized. It looks elegant and efficient. But development of people takes more than paperwork and software. It is the quality of the conversations between manager and employee that makes all the difference.

Conversations about performance are some of the most important conversations managers have with their people. Unfortunately, these conversations are often handled very poorly. Learn how to avoid three of the most common mistakes.

What do you do when you take over a team and find that your predecessor has not managed the performance of people effectively in the past? When performance problems have been allowed to continue, perhaps for years, without being confronted, you face a very difficult performance management situation.

When people do not perform to the standard expected of them, managers often hold back in tackling the problem. They ignore it, hoping it will go away. Then they drop hints about the need to improve. Finally, in desperation, they impose disciplinary action. There is a better way. Learn how to hold performance reviews effectively and resolve performance problems using these four steps.

Managers often avoid confronting poor performance, preferring to side step difficult conversations and possible confrontations. But performance problems do not go away when they are ignored and hints or sarcasm only damage the relationship between employees and their managers. Use these steps to confront poor performance.