A framework for handling difficult conversations

Communication is one of the few skills for which the return of investment is immediate, applies to all areas of life and compounds over time.

personal insight

For a couple of months, difficult conversations have been a topic of great interest to me. The way I used to handle them is to go into conflict avoidance or go into people-pleasing. Ugh, both of these strategies left me unsatisfied with the outcomes. But I’ve found a framework for handling these tough moments.

The framework is coming from a book called Crucial Conversations. This is the best book that I’ve read on this subject (you might not know it, but this has always been on my radar). The material that I’ve seen so far is either dead obvious, vague/impractical or “just a bunch of techniques”. In contrast, this book is coherent from beginning to end, with clear action points and world-view-changing ideas. In my view, it’s a fully-fledged framework that gives anyone the support needed to start improving their difficult conversations.

I’m excited about this topic, so I’ve been giving a presentation covering some of the essential topics in the book.

If you have a problem with the slides not loading, go here

I could use some help to spread the knowledge even further. If you have ideas or situations you can create (with your friends, family, colleagues, etc.) where I can share this and more, would you be willing to let me know?

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