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LDR 302 · Unit 3 of 7

Influence and Difficult Conversations

Leadership Communication and Negotiation

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Learning objectives

After completing this unit, you will be able to:

  • Apply frameworks from \
  • Apply the frameworks in "Influence and Difficult Conversations" to a real management decision
  • Make progress on your Leadership Communication and Negotiation portfolio artifact applied project

Why this matters

Influence and Difficult Conversations is essential to Leadership Communication and Negotiation. Lessons build fluency with anchor-company examples, worked problems, and assessments on the unit page.

Lesson

Unit overview

Complete all 5 lessons in order. Each lesson follows the program authoring standard: conceptual prose, worked examples, practice problems, and managerial judgment prompts. Finish unit exercises and the knowledge check before marking the unit complete.

Connection to applied work

This unit feeds directly into Leadership Communication and Negotiation portfolio artifact. As you read, capture notes, examples, and data you can reuse in that deliverable. Strong students finish each unit with a draft section of their project, not just highlights.

Practice

  1. Write a one-page summary of this unit in your own words without looking at the lesson.
  2. Find a real company example (public filing, news article, or personal experience) that illustrates the main concept.
  3. Draft one paragraph recommending an action a manager should take based on this unit.
  4. Add at least three terms from this unit to your course glossary.

Knowledge check

Answer these without notes before marking the unit complete:

  1. What is the central idea of "Influence and Difficult Conversations"?
  2. What mistake do beginners most often make when applying this material?
  3. How does this unit help you complete Leadership Communication and Negotiation portfolio artifact?
  4. What is one decision you face this month where this unit applies?

Key takeaways

  • Apply frameworks from \
  • Business concepts only matter when they change a decision.
  • Your LDR 302 assessment (Executive communication, influence, negotiation, and leadership presence.) rewards applied understanding, not memorization.

Unit assessment

Complete each section below. Score 80%+ on the quiz to finish this unit's assessment.

40% applied project35% knowledge checks25% reflections

Exercises

Apply what you learned in this unit with structured practice.

ExerciseApplied practice: Influence and Difficult Conversations45 min
Complete a focused practice exercise on **Influence and Difficult Conversations**. 1. Choose a real company, product, or situation you know. 2. Apply one core framework from this unit to analyze it. 3. Write your analysis in 300–500 words with a clear recommendation. 4. Cite at least one credible source.

Deliverable

300–500 word analysis document saved to your portfolio under LDR 302.

Rubric

  • • Framework applied correctly (not just named)
  • • Specific evidence from a real example
  • • Clear recommendation with tradeoffs acknowledged
  • • Professional writing with source citation
ExerciseDrill: Influence and Difficult Conversations30 min
Work through the practice problems in the unit lesson without looking at notes. Then check your work against the lesson and write a short reflection: - What you got right - One mistake you caught - One concept to review before the next unit

Deliverable

Problem solutions + 150-word reflection in your LDR 302 workbook.

Rubric

  • • Attempted all practice items before checking answers
  • • Honest reflection on errors
  • • Identifies a specific review action

Simulation

Practice the unit skills in a scenario-based exercise.

SimulationSimulation prep: Influence and Difficult Conversations75 min
Prepare for and complete a simulation or role-play related to **Influence and Difficult Conversations**. **Before:** Write a one-page prep brief (objectives, stakeholders, your strategy). **During:** Record or document the interaction (notes within 24 hours). **After:** Complete a debrief using: What happened → What worked → What to change.

Deliverable

Prep brief + debrief notes (2 pages total).

Rubric

  • • Clear objectives and strategy in prep
  • • Honest debrief with specific moments cited
  • • Identifies one skill to practice next
  • • Links debrief to unit frameworks

Knowledge quiz

Check your understanding before marking the unit complete.

1. Using Cialdini's principles ethically at BrightPath means:

2. SBI (situation-behavior-impact) feedback should:

3. Delivering bad news on compensation harmonization requires:

4. BrightPath data exposure crisis: first external move?

5. Cross-cultural messaging at BrightPath should:

6. Psychological safety in feedback conversations means:

7. Diane Foster rejects 'listening tour' language without proposal changes because:

8. Face threat in difficult conversations is reduced by:

Next unit: Negotiation Foundations →