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  6. Facilitating Difficult Conversations in the Classroom: Tips for Tutors

Facilitating Difficult Conversations in the Classroom: Tips for Tutors

In higher education, one of our most important goals is to help students develop the ability to think critically, question assumptions, and engage thoughtfully with complexity. Sometimes, that means wading into difficult conversations – those that challenge beliefs, explore sensitive topics, or provoke strong emotions. While these conversations can feel uncomfortable, they are often necessary for intellectual growth, empathy, and the development of real-world skills like negotiation and collaboration.

The tips below are taken from our Difficult Conversations workshop to support you for controversial or emotionally charged issues in your classrooms, and prepare students to engage with them constructively.

Published on: 23/04/2025 · Last updated on: 23/04/2025

What are Difficult Conversations?

Difficult conversations are topics that may be controversial or sensitive. They may challenge strong held beliefs or trigger a traumatic response. These conversations may come up unexpected or they may be planned. Sometimes the content and/or discussions are a necessary or vital learning and teaching moment for successful completion of a unit of study.

A slide titled “What Are Your Difficult Conversations?” featuring a list of classroom challenges that may lead to sensitive discussions. On the left, there is an image of a female educator standing at the front of a classroom with students seated at desks. The right side lists five categories of difficult conversations with brief descriptions: Group Dynamics – Managing dominant vs. quieter voices, ensuring equitable group work participation. Cultural Understanding – Different perspectives on academic integrity and student identity. Identity & Inclusion – Teaching gender and cultural topics sensitively, supporting neurodivergent learners. Challenging Behaviour – Addressing inappropriate comments, managing controversial discussions, supporting invisible disabilities. Competing Priorities – Balancing environmental and industry needs, navigating inclusion without reinforcing stereotypes. At the bottom, a statement reads: “Our biases and discomforts can make handling these situations tricky.”
Slide taken from the Difficult Conversations workshop sharing participants’ answers to what they have experienced as difficult conversations.

Before the Conversation: Laying the Groundwork

1. Cultivate Cultural Competence

Understanding who is in your classroom is a vital first step. The University Baseline Population Reports can help identify patterns across cohorts. These insights can inform more inclusive teaching strategies and help anticipate potential areas of misunderstanding.

Don’t forget to consider values, worldviews, and educational backgrounds. Ask yourself:

  • Who is represented in your curriculum?
  • Who might feel excluded?
  • How do different cultural norms shape student expectations? How do they shape your expectations?

“A necessary precursor to working through ways to address the challenges arising from an increasingly diversified student cohort is an examination of the underlying attitudes, values, and systems that may give rise to difficulties for both staff and students.” – Ryan (2011)

2. Reflection

Before diving into difficult topics, reflect on your own experiences. When was a belief of yours challenged or changed? What prompted that shift? This type of reflective exercise fosters empathy – a critical trait for guiding others through complex discussions.

3. Prepare Students

Students benefit from preparation to participate in difficult discussions in ways that are meaningful and respectful. The more scaffolding we provide, the more confident and skilled students become at navigating sensitive topics. Here’s how to build that foundation:

Don’t throw students into the deep end of a contentious issue. Forming a coherent, evidence-based argument is a skill that needs to be taught—especially in emotionally charged contexts. Build their skill by introducing complexity over time. This might look like:

  • Starting with low-stakes topics before progressing to higher-stakes issues.
  • Sharing curated readings or videos that offer contrasting views and show the use of evidence to support different views.
  • Using “perspective-taking” activities—ask students to adopt and argue a position they don’t hold.


Gradual exposure helps students feel safe, while also sharpening their ability to analyse multiple sides of a topic.

By seeing a model of how to disagree with curiosity rather than confrontation, students learn to replicate that behaviour.

Students look to their tutors for cues about what is acceptable. By demonstrating how to engage with opposing ideas calmly and with curiosity, you set the tone for the entire class. For example:

  • Acknowledge differing viewpoints without judgment.
  • Use statements like, “That’s an interesting perspective—can you tell me more about what led you to that conclusion?”
  • Always back your own points with evidence, but avoid language that “wins” or “shuts down” the other person.

Don’t assume students understand what a “difficult conversation” entails. Be upfront about what’s coming:

  • Let them know when sensitive content will arise and why it matters.
  • Explain the learning goals behind engaging with discomfort—such as developing empathy, challenging assumptions, or improving communication skills.
  • Reassure them that they will be supported throughout.


This transparency reduces anxiety and allows students to enter discussions with more control over how they engage.

Identifying potential conflict: Not sure if your content has potential trigger points? Have GenAI or a colleague look over your material to point out potential trigger points in your content.

Shared expectations foster accountability and safety. Invite students to help shape the discussion environment by:

  • Brainstorming and voting on discussion ground rules.
  • Revisiting the norms periodically and modelling how to refer to them if discussions go off track.


Ownership of the rules increases student investment in upholding them.

During the Conversation: Navigating the Moment

When sensitive discussions begin, your role as facilitator becomes especially important. Techniques like the PAUSE method can help you slow the moment, acknowledge emotion, and redirect constructively.

A diagram titled “DURING: The PAUSE Method” displaying a five-step process for facilitating difficult conversations in educational settings. Each step is represented by a colored arrow with accompanying icons and labels: Pause the Conversation (yellow) – Initiate a break in dialogue to reset focus. Acknowledge Perspectives (orange) – Recognise and validate different viewpoints. Understand Core Issues (red) – Identify and comprehend the main problems. Structured Discussion (pink) – Remind students of the agreed discussion and debate guidelines. Establish Next Steps (purple) – Determine and plan the actions to be taken after the conversation. Words and arrows flow left to right to represent the progression of the conversation-facilitation process.
Infographic of the PAUSE method.

It’s also vital to:

  • Ask clarifying questions to uncover intent.
  • Allow students the space to opt out if needed.
  • Encourage listening, not just responding.

This is not about “winning” a debate—it’s about learning from each other.

Sometimes conversations may cross a line – for example a comment may be discriminatory, factually inaccurate, or harmful. In these situations, you may need to shut the conversation down. During these times it is important to address the harmful comment, not the speaker, to minimise escalating the situation and humiliating individuals. You may want to acknowledge the discomfort, and if necessary, take a pause. Afterwards you may also want to remind students of pre-established classroom rules.

After the Conversation: Reflection and Support

Once the moment has passed, the learning continues. Follow-up can include:

  • Debriefs with the class, highlighting key takeaways and acknowledging discomfort.
  • Individual check-ins with students who may have been affected.
  • Reflection questions for yourself: What worked? What didn’t? What would I do differently next time?

This is a great opportunity to grow—not just as an educator, but as a co-learner in a shared space.

Support Services for Staff

Support Services to Signpost for Students

Conclusion

Facilitating difficult conversations is about preparing ourselves and our students to engage with complexity in a respectful, thoughtful way. With the right structures, reflection, and support, we can turn these challenging moments into powerful opportunities for growth, understanding, and genuine learning.

If you’d like to explore these approaches further or arrange a tailored workshop for your team, please get in touch with Lynn Cheong-White. I’d be happy to work with departments to build confidence around navigating sensitive or controversial topics in an inclusive and supportive way.

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