Question:

Yesterday, I walked past a coworker’s office and heard a deep male voice I’d not heard before coming from her computer. My brain skipped past “healthy workplace interaction” and landed on “office affair.”

I slowed enough to catch: “Let’s try that again with a more confident tone.”

My coworker spotted me standing there and said she was practicing a difficult conversation with ChatGPT before asking our boss for a raise.

Answer:

We once rehearsed difficult conversations in the shower, during the drive home, or with a spouse trapped at the dinner table. Increasing numbers of staffers use AI’s chat capacity to prepare for salary negotiations, performance reviews, conflict conversations, resignations, and uncomfortable discussions with colleagues.

This makes a certain kind of sense. Many of us would rather assemble IKEA furniture blindfolded than ask for a raise or push back on unrealistic deadlines. Most of us have lived through the moment when one badly phrased sentence derailed an entire conversation.

Staffers once worked near mentors, colleagues, and trusted office veterans who coached them through difficult moments or helped them practice what to say before a tense meeting. We’ve all had a friend who reminded us to breathe before walking into the boss’s office.

Now, for many staffers, their favorite rehearsal partners now live inside a laptop and speak with the reassuring calm of someone who never has to survive budget meetings.

And honestly? Some staffers probably receive more measured communication coaching from AI than from managers. AI bots now serve as therapists, writing coaches, confidence boosters, and the emotional support department for many employees. During a recent conversation, an HR friend commented, “I wonder if AI could replace me in some of the conversations I have with angry staffers?” In another discussion, I learned one company’s leader used AI to draft “personal” staffer appreciation notes.

Why use an AI bot to rehearse? You can rehearse the same conversation a dozen times without the bot dramatically signing, “Not again.”

You can task AI, “Respond like a difficult boss.” Or: “Play my manager who says the budget is tight, and I’ll need to wait until year end.” Or “What tough objections might I face? How can I respond to each one?”

The problem: The more staffers outsource difficult communication, the less they trust their own instincts. AI drafts the email, softens the tone, structures the feedback, and scripts the confrontation. Over time, that creates workplace and communication skill rust.

Think about what GPS did to everyone’s sense of direction. Most of us can barely find a new gym without a soothing voice announcing, “Turn left in 500 feet.”

The more managers and staffers rely on AI to navigate uncomfortable conversations, the harder authentic communication starts to feel. The question others will soon have: “Is that you saying that, or is that what your bot told you to say?”

Preparation itself isn’t the enemy. Rehearsing difficult conversations can help many organize thoughts, reduce anxiety, and communicate more clearly. Both therapists and leadership coaches encourage practicing before difficult conversations and situations.

The deeper issue: trust.

Staffers need managers and colleagues who don’t treat every imperfect phrase like courtroom evidence. They need workplaces where they can ask difficult questions, negotiate respectfully, and feel safe speaking honestly. Real communication requires authenticity and the ability to respond to another human being in real time, even when the conversation goes off script. AI cannot fully teach the ability to listen carefully, think critically, adapt naturally, and respond honestly in the moment.

Convenience helps productivity. Struggle builds expertise.

Healthy workplaces still require people willing to communicate honestly and occasionally stumble through difficult conversations together without outsourcing every uncomfortable moment to a machine. Otherwise, staffers may increasingly turn to software for courage before talking to each other.

 

Lynne Curry, PhD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, authored “Navigating Conflict” (Business Experts Press, 2022); “Managing for Accountability (BEP, 2021); “Beating the Workplace Bully,” AMACOM 2016, and “Solutions 911/411.” Curry founded www.workplacecoachblog.com, which offers more than 850 articles on topics such as leadership, HR, and professional development and “Real-life Writing,” https://bit.ly/45lNbVo.  Curry has qualified in Court as an expert witness in Management Best Practices, HR, and Workplace issues. You can reach her at https://workplacecoachblog.com/ask-a-coach/ or for a glimpse at her novels and short stories where she fictionalizes workplace incidents, visit, lynnecurryauthor.com or https://substack.com/@lynnewriter10. © 2026