The Shocklogic team recently attended the MESA Members Meeting on Wednesday 27th October. The topic of the interactive session was “How do you navigate through and deal with difficult conversations at work and with clients.” 

MESA (Meetings & Events Support Association) is a new association based on the previous membership activities of the Meetings Design Institute, which is a network of companies with a ‘people-first’ ethos collaborating and working together on fresh new ideas.

There were plenty of key takeaways from the discussion. 

Gordon Glenister, Director of Communications at MESA, shared these great tips for dealing with difficult conversations:

• Create an open culture. Culture drives people forward.
• Create regular feedback and idea sharing.
• Listen to people’s issues without interrupting.
• Show empathy and compassion.
• Remain calm and stay focused.
• Create the right surroundings for your organisation.

Kelly Sanchez, one of our Business Development Associates, had this to contribute: 

“It’s very important to work for a company that has a culture where you are listened to and understood. Managers prefer honesty, and when you are in a difficult situation with a client, it’s important to share it with your colleagues to find a solution together.”

And our CEO and Founder, John Martinez, shared this with the group:

“It’s important to stand from a place of abundance and generosity. A policy that has always worked for me is to listen. Seek to understand before being understood. When we have a conversation with a customer or a team member, we need to understand their concerns first.”

At Shocklogic, we are big believers in the importance of our employees’ wellbeing. We are a value-centred company, where taking care of our people has never been an afterthought.

The Shocklogic team has even produced a “Wellness in the Workplace” ebook where we share a series of practical tips on wellbeing. You can read it here. 

We will be back again for the next MESA Members meeting in November.