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Crucial Conversations
Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler is the most recent Top Picks entry on our Book List. It was actually published in 2002, and we somehow missed it. This book is so practical and applicable; we have decided to memorialize the key points in our blog. In case you don’t have the time to read it, you will at least get our main takeaways — with, of course, some editorial comments. Here goes…
- A crucial conversation is a discussion between two or more people where the stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong. (Editorial comment: We have several of those every week.)
- We usually handle crucial conversations one of three ways: we avoid them; we face them and handle them poorly; or we face them and handle them well.
- The negative feelings we hold in, the emotional pain we suffer, and the constant battering we endure as we stumble our way through unhealthy conversations slowly eats away at our “health.”
- At the core of every successful conversation lies the free flow of relevant information, or a dialogue.
- Each of us enters conversations with our own opinions, feelings, theories, and experiences about the topic at hand.
- Remember that the only person you can directly control is yourself.
- First focus on “what you really want for yourself, for others, and for the relationship.” What is the mutual purpose of the conversation?
- Wanting to win or seeking revenge is a dialogue-killer.
This topic will be continued in two weeks. There is so much meat here, you may want to print this list and keep it nearby so you can reference it.