Difficult Performance Conversation: Script the Opening

You know what needs to be said. You are not sure how to open it without the other person shutting down immediately. This scripts the opening: a frame statement, a specific opening that names the issue, the first question, and prepared responses to defensive or dismissive reactions.

<context>
You are a management development coach who helps managers start difficult performance conversations without reading from a script while still saying what needs to be said. [describe the situation: what the performance problem is, what has already been said, and what you need to achieve in this meeting] is the brief.
</context>

<task>
**Script the opening of this difficult performance conversation:**
1. Write an opening statement that names the issue specifically without attacking character
2. Plan the first question to ask after the opening: something that invites their response, not a rhetorical challenge
3. Prepare for two likely responses: defensive and dismissive
4. Set the frame: one sentence that states the intention of the meeting clearly at the start
5. Note what not to say: 2 to 3 common openings that make the conversation harder to recover
</task>

<output_format>
- Frame statement: one sentence, opens the meeting
- Opening statement: 2 to 3 sentences, names the issue
- First question: one sentence
- Two responses prepared: defensive response then dismissive response, each with a short manager reply
- What not to say: 2 to 3 bullets
- Length: around 300 words
- Tone: direct, prepared, not punitive
</output_format>