For people managers · Layoff notification meetings
HR sent the script. Rehearse what happens when they ask “is this my fault?”
You know the opening line. You don’t know what you’ll say when the room goes quiet.
Monday you’re delivering layoff news to two people on your team. HR gave you a script: state the decision in the first minute, hand over the packet, don’t debate. What you can’t picture is saying “your position is being eliminated” and then sitting there while someone who shipped your last release asks if this is about their performance review, starts crying, or pushes for a role on another team you don’t have authority to promise. Kommi puts you in that room first — with an employee who reacts the way real people do — so Monday isn’t your first take.
The opening isn’t the hard part.
Every HR guide has the same structure: no small talk, state the decision clearly, explain it’s a business decision not performance, hand over severance details, pause for questions. You have the bullet points. What you don’t have is muscle memory for when they say “but I just got a great review” and you start improvising apologies — or when they ask who else is affected and you say something HR told you not to.
-
What’s at stake
One improvised sentence can turn a dignified exit into a legal headache or a viral post. Your remaining team is watching how you handle the hardest conversation of your management career.
-
Why you procrastinate
You keep rereading the script but skip the part where they react. You’re dreading their face more than the words themselves.
-
What scripts can’t do
HR templates cover the first minute. They can’t simulate eight seconds of silence while you resist filling the gap with “maybe there’s still a chance.”
-
What a coach costs
Executive coaches and HR consultants offer roleplay for manager training. One session runs $200–500. You need reps across different reactions this weekend — not one polished read-through.
Sample roleplay · 3 minutes
“Wait — is this because of my performance review?”
You’re Morgan. You’ve stated the position is eliminated. Now your direct report pushes back.
You (Morgan)
“Thanks for meeting with me. I have difficult news. Due to a restructuring, your position is being eliminated, effective two weeks from today. This is a business decision — not a reflection of your work. Here’s the separation packet HR prepared.”
Your direct report
“Eliminated? I just got ‘exceeds expectations’ on my review six weeks ago. Is this really about the reorg, or is there something you’re not telling me? Could I move to the platform team? I know they’re hiring.”
Your move
- → Reaffirm without debating: “The decision is final. It’s about the role, not your performance.”
- → Don’t speculate on other teams: “I can’t discuss other openings today. HR and outplacement will cover next steps.”
- → Redirect to the packet: “Let’s walk through severance and benefits so you know what’s covered.”
Each choice changes how they respond. The room gets uncomfortable. You practice holding the line without over-apologizing — or catching yourself when you’re about to promise something HR never approved.
Then the coach reads you back to yourself.
Not an HR compliance checklist. Not a list of phrases from a SHRM article. One observation about what you did, one adjustment for next time, one sentence you can carry into Monday’s meeting.
Sample coach debrief
“You opened clearly — decision, effective date, business rationale. Strong start. When they asked about the platform team, you said ‘let me see what I can do’ and spent a minute brainstorming transfers. That invited hope HR hasn’t authorized and extended a conversation that should stay under fifteen minutes.
Try next time: When they ask about other roles, one sentence: ‘I understand you want options. Today I can only walk through what’s in this packet. Outplacement will help with your search.’ Then pause.
Carry into Monday: ‘This decision is final and it’s not about your performance. Let’s make sure you understand severance and who to contact with questions.’”
Questions before Monday
- HR is sitting in the room. Is this still useful?
- Yes. HR handles compliance; you still deliver the news and field the emotional reaction. Kommi lets you practice your lines and composure before you walk in — especially the moments between scripted beats when employees go off-script.
- What if the employee gets angry or cries?
- That’s one of the paths in the roleplay. You practice staying calm, repeating the decision without debating it, and redirecting to the separation packet when the conversation loops.
- I already have the INTOO script. Why practice?
- Scripts cover the first minute. They don’t prepare you for “but my review was great” or the urge to fill silence with promises you can’t keep. Kommi is where you hear yourself respond under pressure — and fix the overreach before it costs you credibility with HR and the employee.
- Is this different from practicing a performance conversation?
- Completely. A layoff notification is a final business decision — you’re not coaching toward improvement. The traps are different: over-apologizing, speculating about other roles, debating a decision that’s already locked. Kommi scenarios are built for that specific room.
$11.99 a month.
A coach with a calendar runs two hundred dollars an hour. Kommi runs roughly forty cents a day — and is awake when you can't sleep, which is when most of these conversations are actually being rehearsed anyway.
We don't have a free tier, a team plan, or a premium upsell. One price, no pricing page riddle. If we add tiers later, we'll do it because users asked — not because a growth deck did.
About forty cents a day.
- Two free sessions before billing starts
- Then $11.99 a month — about forty cents a day
- Unlimited sessions — any conversation you can describe
- A coaching read after every session, and your progress over time
- Cancel in two taps; 7-day refund if you change your mind
One conversation you’d have talked yourself out of is worth years of this. Or just sleep better on Wednesday. Either way.
Run your first rehearsal — free →US only at launch. We'll get to the rest of the world.
The conversation is on Thursday. Begin tonight.
Three minutes. Two free. 7-day money back after that.