Conference 2026: Tools for Challenging Conversations

Speaker(s): Jessica Schmidt, Principal Consultant, Orchestrate Inclusion

Engaging in respectful disagreement requires a specific set of skills that we don’t always have the opportunity to hone. As we strive to build considerate and honest work cultures at our orchestras that include an array of opinions and lived experiences, we need space to practice and grow. This workshop offered that space.

Through a lens of best practices in inclusion, participants learned strategies to help navigate challenging interpersonal discussions. Specifically, participants:

• Learned how challenging conversations contribute to psychological safety and positive organizational culture
• Built skills to better assess their initial reactions and to make mindful choices when entering a difficult conversation
• Built active listening skills
• Gained tools to hold curiosity for differences of opinion and experience

This session has been generously sponsored by RATstands.

Photo Credit: Amy Raab Photography