A panel offers tips on handling a crucial conversation.
By Devona Williams, Pharm.D.
The focus of the 2018 AAPS PharmSci 360 Career Development sessions was Crucial Conversations. Sessions provided advice on various difficult conversations managers, leaders, employees, and students face in various stages of career growth. The career development session How to Say, “This Isn’t Working Out” was an interactive panel discussion moderated by Kirsten Block, Ph.D., the associate director of research and grant programs at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. The panel included representatives from academia, corporate human resources, and clinical research business management. Panelists shared wisdom on the process of initiating and preparing for difficult conversations, peer-to-peer and manager level interactions, and tips for helping difficult conversations be as productive as possible.