Crucial Conversations

infobox Book
name = Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High
orig title =
translator =


author = Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
classification = Non-Fiction
genre =
publisher = McGraw-Hill
release_date = 2002
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = 240
isbn = ISBN 0-07-140194-6
preceded_by =
followed_by = Crucial confrontations: Tools For Resolving Broken Promises, Violated Expectations and Bad Behavior "Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High" (ISBN 0-07-140194-6) is a book by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler. The book discusses how to handle disagreements and high-stakes communication. It was first published by McGraw-Hill in 2002 and has since become a New York Times bestseller. [New York Times (2002) http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800EFDE1330F932A15754C0A9649C8B63]

A Crucial Conversation

The authors define crucial conversations as “A discussion between two or more people where (1) stakes are high, (2) opinions vary, and (3) emotions run strong.”Patterson et. al., p. 3] They explain that when dialogue becomes crucial, people may avoid the conversation, become angry (go to violence), or, sometimes, face the conversation and handle it well.

The authors studied for over 25 years people who are considered influential by their peers and managers in their work and relationships, and concluded that “… [w] hat typically set them apart from the rest of the pack was their ability to deal with crucial conversations [Patterson et. al., p. 10-20] .

Contents

* "Words of Wisdom" a forward by Stephen R. Covey
* "What's a Crucial Conversation - And Who Cares"
* "Mastering Crucial Conversations - The Power of Dialog"
* "Start with Heart - How to Stay Focused on What you Really Want"
* "Learn to Look - How to Notice When Safety Is at Risk"
* "Make It Safe - How to Make It Safe to Talk about Almost Anything"
* "Master My Stories - How to Stay in Dialogue When You're Angry, Scared, or Hurt"
* "STATE My Path - How to Speak Persuasively, Not Abrasively"
* "Explore Others' Paths - How to Listen When Others Blow UP or Clam Up"
* "Move to Action - How to Turn Crucial Conversations into Action and Results"
* "Putting It All Together - Tools for Preparing and Learning"
* "Yeah, But - Advice for Touch Cases"
* "Change Your Life - How to Turn Ideas into Habits"

References

External links

* [http://www.vitalsmarts.com/cc1book.aspx VitalSmarts Web site]