Podcast: Hard Conversations and the Multigenerational Workplace with Jennifer Abrams
January 30, 2018
In this episode of the Leading Learning podcast, Celisa talks with Jennifer about hard conversations and the multigenerational workplace, including the impact each of these have on both leading and learning.
About:
As a leader – or aspiring leader – in the business of lifelong learning, it’s par for the course that you will need to have challenging conversations within your organization and the people that you serve. And related to that, oftentimes the challenge lies in effectively communicating to an audience representing a wide range in age and years of experience.
Jennifer Abrams is an expert in overcoming these challenges and has written various books including, Having Hard Conversations, The Multigenerational Workplace : Communicate, Collaborate, and Create Community, and Hard Conversations Unpacked : The Whos, the Whens, and the What-Ifs. She’s also a communications expert, a designer of professional development, a speaker, and, with a few e-courses under her belt, an entrepreneurial subject matter expert (eSME)—if that term is new to you or you need a refresher, see our related post about the rise of the eSME.
About Jennifer Abrams
Jennifer has been recognized as one of "21 Women All K-12 Educators Need to Know" by Education Week's 'Finding Common Ground' blog. She considers herself a "voice coach," helping others learn how to best use their voices – be it collaborating on a team, facilitating a group, coaching a colleague, supervising an employee and being an all around better human being in all types of interactions.
Work with Jennifer
Praise for Jennifer
“Jennifer’s session was not just a workshop, but an invitation to look inward at how we, as adults, show up in our professional roles. She reminded us that hard conversations are not about winning or avoiding conflict, but about cultivating clarity, empathy, and courage.
One of the most powerful takeaways was this: for dialogue to be truly effective, we must learn to communicate with precision while holding space for humanity. Hard conversations should not shut people down; they should open the door to growth-producing feedback that strengthens trust, relationships, and professional practice. My learning experience with Jennifer was a reminder that our impact as educators is amplified when we are willing to pause, reflect, and engage with one another in ways that foster both accountability and compassion.”
