MASTERING DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS with parents/staff
"Practical strategies for difficult conversations with parents and staff."
Dear School Leader
Every school eventually faces conversations where emotions are high. Whether it's a principal, deputy principal, pastoral leader or teacher meeting with parents, these discussions can consume enormous amounts of time, stress and emotional energy if they're not handled well.
This practical workshop provides simple frameworks and techniques that help staff prepare thoroughly, stay calm under pressure and achieve better outcomes in difficult conversations.
This practical workshop provides simple frameworks and techniques that help staff prepare thoroughly, stay calm under pressure and achieve better outcomes in difficult conversations.
It's suitable for individual schools, groups of schools (sharing the cost), principal associations, teacher-only days, leadership teams and conference presentations.
What you'll Learn
This is all done through the use of real life scenarios.
one of the biggest benefits of this training
"A key outcome for me was seeing staff gain a shared language and framework for handling these situations. Rather than relying solely on instinct or escalating issues straight to senior leadership, they now have a strategy they can apply independently. This not only builds their confidence but also promotes greater consistency in how conversations are managed across the school."
ADAM CELS, PRINCIPAL, WHENUAPAI SCHOOL, AUCKLAND
Delivery options
WHERE: Anywhere across New Zealand and Australia.
DELIVERY: Tailored to your group.
- Half-day workshops (most popular)
- Full-day workshops
- Conference presentations (45-90 minutes)
- Self-paced online course (Find out more)
SUITABLE FOR
- Individual schools
- Groups of Schools (To share the cost)
- Principal Associations and School Clusters
- Teacher-only professional days
ABOUT PETE
Pete has worked with school leaders across New Zealand for the past 18 years, helping them navigate difficult conversations with parents and staff, media interviews when the stakes are high, and crisis communication planning.
A former Education Reporter and Government Press Secretary, Pete holds Masters Degrees in Communication Management and Journalism.
His background in media and crisis communication has given him a unique perspective on difficult conversations. The same skills needed when facing intense media scrutiny—remaining calm under pressure, developing clear messages, active listening and effective body language—are equally valuable when dealing with emotional conversations with parents and staff.
Pete's approach is highly practical, using real school scenarios and simple frameworks that participants can apply immediately. Across workshops, conference presentations and online training, feedback consistently highlights the confidence and practical skills participants take back to their schools.
WHAT OTHERS SAY...
The schools that attended Pete’s “Difficult Conversations” PLD (including my own) raved about the hands on nature of the day. Pete’s ability to weave incredibly useful content into the scenarios we used to practice the skills he outlined, was outstanding. Whilst some of the roles plays were daunting, this is where the real learning took place. All leaders left the day feeling much better prepared.
STEVE KING, LEADER, AUCKLAND CENTRAL COMMUNITY OF SCHOOLS AND PRINCIPAL, REMUERA PRIMARY
Pete's workshop has been invaluable for our pastoral team, equipping them with essential skills to handle challenging conversations with parents. His focus on body language and de-escalation techniques has provided practical strategies that foster calm, constructive communication. Thanks to Pete’s guidance, our team feels more confident and prepared to navigate even the most sensitive discussions.
NIGEL VERNON, ASSIATANT PRINCIPAL - PASTORAL CARE, CHRISTCHURCH BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL
I was in your workshop on dealing with difficult parents. The course has changed the way I deal with parents and has decreased my stress levels. I have a year 2 teacher in our department who is struggling with over protective, overdemanding, helicopter parents. I have shared your system with her and helped her frame a reply to an email she received last night (at 8pm) from a parent. She has gone away much happier. It has been a tough term for a lot of reasons and the PD was invaluable. Thank you.
LINDA, NEW PLYMOUTH
Pete delivered an outstanding, highly practical professional development session for our Housemasters on navigating difficult conversations. His calm, clear, and experienced approach created a safe space for meaningful learning. The tools and frameworks he introduced were immediately applicable and deeply relevant to the pastoral realities of our work. Our Housemasters left the session feeling more confident, better equipped, and genuinely empowered. We are grateful for Pete’s expertise and look forward to seeing these strategies positively influence our practice next year. I would highly recommend it for any pastoral team in secondary schools.
CRAIG HARDMAN, ASSOCIATE HEADMASTER, ST PAUL'S COLLEGIATE SCHOOL
The feedback I have had is very positive with staff talking about how they are using it (What they learnt in the workshop). It was a great session, very informative , relevant and will be part of our tools moving forward.
MARGARET TROTTER, PRINCIPAL, OAKLANDS SCHOOL
Rangiora High invited Pete into the school to work with our Kaitiaki (Deans) on managing difficult parents. This is an area where many schools just assume teachers have the knowledge and skills to enter into this space and it can be quite challenging for them. At the end of the day our Kaitiaki felt they had been on a journey of learning that gave them not only the skills but also the confidence to enter into these conversations. A very worthwhile engagement with an outstanding presenter. .
BRUCE KEARNEY, PRINCIPAL, RANGIORA HIGH SCHOOL
Copyright © 2025 Pete Burdon - All Rights Reserved
