Turnaround Interview is a two-day training session that teach managers how to have a carefully crafted and controlled conversation that results in an employee changing a bad workplace habit. The approach uses pride as motivation rather than the threat of discipline to bring about changes in behaviours.

In this workshop, managers learn not only the theory behind effective coaching and corrective conversations, but also the practical, step-by-step approach — what to do, what to say, and the order to follow.

As a non-disciplinary approach to correcting behavior, Turnaround Interview removes the risk of grievances and arbitration cases. Organizations where managers are using Turnaround Interview report fewer disciplinary measures and therefore fewer grievances and arbitration cases. 

Turnaround Interview, as opposed to using or threatening discipline, improves the long-term relationship between your managers and employees. Over time, this reduces employee turnover, which also saves money and headaches.

Unions are very supportive of the Turnaround Interview approach because it allows their members to correct certain behaviors without the use of discipline. In some cases, union representatives have been taught Turnaround Interview so that they can have a transparent and full understanding of the approach.

Turnaround Interview has been taught in unionized and non-unionized organizations across many sectors, including:

• Federal and provincial government departments
• Municipalities of all sizes
• Hospitals
• School boards
• Manufacturers (from small businesses to multinational corporations)
• Distribution and retail companies
• Non-profit organizations
• Colleges and universities

Many managers fear having performance-related discussions with employees. Often, this stems from past experiences where these conversations turned confrontational, or the manager felt they lost control. The methodical structure and techniques taught in Turnaround Interview ensure that the manager stays in control of the conversation, while also lowering the employee’s natural defensiveness that leads to confrontation.

So, Turnaround Interview begins with a brief introduction where the manager is taught exactly how to start the conversation, respectfully but succinctly, so they get to the point without falling into the trap of nervous small talk.

Workshop participants are taught techniques involving room setup, body language, and voice control. That is followed by four main steps where, through the manager’s use of the adaptable script and the defensive responses taught, the employee will:

1. acknowledge the behavior has been happening;
2. agree that it cannot go on forever;
3. accept they have control of behavior and explore possible solutions, and;
4. commit to specific concrete actions.

The conversation ends with the “critical close,” which is when the manager uses some carefully-chosen wording to attach the employee’s own sense of pride or integrity to whether or not they do what they agreed to do.

No. In fact, Turnaround Interview protects the integrity of your discipline system. The effectiveness of progressive discipline systems is often harmed by overuse. Turnaround Interview alleviates this by giving managers a different and more effective tool to use for recurring minor issues.  

Essentially, Turnaround Interview is a filter for your discipline system. In most cases of minor-but-recurring negative behavior (e.g. lateness, missed deadlines, careless mistakes, etc.) it produces correction without the use of discipline. Your discipline policy is still needed for serious offenses, and for small minority employees who do not respond to Turnaround Interview. 

Absolutely. While Turnaround Interview is a habit-breaking tool, meaning it’s an approach to use once something has happened a few times, the workshop begins by teaching managers how to conduct the “early intervention conversation.”  This is a quick and informal conversation for the manager to initiate when the behavior first occurs.

By showing managers a simple and casual three-point conversation method, it reduces the fear of confrontation that often causes them to avoid the conversation. Also, the “early intervention conversation” approach often prevents these minor negative behaviors from continuing, which prevents the need to even have a structured Turnaround Interview conversation later with the employee.

Yes. Managers love Turnaround Interview because of the practical and concrete techniques they learn — ones they’ve often been missing in these conversations. We’re not teaching just theory. And we’re not teaching a feel-good approach that will only work with the easiest employees. The workshop equips managers with specific practical, realistic, and effective things they can do and say to have successful corrective conversations with employees — even the difficult ones!

This is a common scenario that is addressed in the TI workshop. During the Turnaround Interview training, managers learn how to address these situations in their early intervention conversation without turning employees against each other. The managers then learn how to use the employee’s memory of those prior conversations to get them to acknowledge the behavior is happening in step one of the Turnaround Interview.

For large organizations with dozens of managers, the Train-the-Trainer model may be a cost-effective investment. Typically, the upfront cost of training and certifying your in-house TI instructors is recouped within four workshops. After that point, you are saving more than 50% of the cost per person having the workshop taught by your in-house instructors instead of bringing in someone from Montana Consulting Group or one of its licensees.

As well, for organizations with substantial annual turnover among their managers and supervisors, and who want to ensure new managers/supervisors are taught TI in a timely manner, having an in-house instructor available can make it possible.

It’s best to experience a TI workshop before investing in the Train-the-Trainer model. It will give you the fullest understanding of what TI is and provide the opportunity to hear your managers’ feedback about it. Also, it’s helpful for your prospective in-house instructors to participate in a TI workshop before learning how to teach it themselves.

There are several points to consider when determining whether Train-the-Trainer is the best long-term option for your organization. We welcome a further conversation to discuss your organization’s specific concerns and situation.