Brave Conversations - Term 4 2026

Brave Conversations: staying human under pressure

NEW COURSE

This conversation series includes three sessions:

• Tuesday 20 October 2026, 12:30-1:30pm

  Fear and Resistance

  Understanding what gets in the way and what is at stake

  
  

• Tuesday 17 November 2026, 12:30-1:30pm

  Staying Present in Difficult Dialogue

  Listening, trust, and holding the space educators and teams inhabit

  
  

• Tuesday 8 December, 12:30-1:30pm

  Empathy and Accountability

  Using power with care to move conversations forward an engage positive change

  
  
  
  

Hard conversations are not something to avoid or “handle.” They are learning spaces - moments where trust, identity, and power are shaped in real time. In early childhood settings, these conversations are never neutral. They quietly shape the emotional climate of a team, influencing whether motivation, courage, and curiosity are supported or slowly eroded.

This course focuses on building the practice of courageous conversation: staying in dialogue when things feel uncomfortable, engaging differences with care, and holding tension without slipping into silence, control, or tokenistic harmony. Together, we’ll reflect on how power and fear can show up and how we use this (or avoid it) impacts wellbeing, trust, and reflective culture. When fear goes unnamed, we can prioritise comfort over honesty, avoid tension in the name of being “nice,” or lean on accountability in ways that fracture trust. When met with skill and awareness, fear can become a starting point for coaching and collaboration.

Grounded in dialogue and lived experience, this course supports educators and leaders to stay present under pressure, leading conversations that are human, grounded, and purposeful, even when the path forward isn’t entirely clear.

“Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind”

Brene Brown