Crucial conversations

tools for talking when stakes are high

240 pages

English language

Published Jan. 5, 2002 by McGraw-Hill.

OCLC Number:
48989136

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (6 reviews)

The New York Times Bestseller!Learn how to keep your cool and get the results you want when emotions flare.When stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong, you have three choices: Avoid a crucial conversation and suffer the consequences; handle the conversation badly and suffer the consequences; or read Crucial Conversations and discover how to communicate best when it matters most. Crucial Conversations gives you the tools you need to step up to life's most difficult and important conversations, say what's on your mind, and achieve the positive resolutions you want. You'll learn how to:Prepare for high-impact situations with a six-minute mastery techniqueMake it safe to talk about almost anythingBe persuasive, not abrasiveKeep listening when others blow up or clam upTurn crucial conversations into the action and results you wantWhether they take place at work or at home, with your neighbors or your spouse, crucial conversations can have a …

9 editions

Review of 'Crucial conversations' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This book completely changed the way I look at conversations and at human interactions in general. I never got educated on a coherent model of handling difficult conversations and this book has it: before, during, and after.
And it has exercises and examples so that I was able to start applying the knowledge immediately.

If you ever struggled with conversations, this book is for you.

Review of 'Crucial Conversations' on Goodreads

1 star

Great content, terrible to read, a lot of filler and self-congratulatory clickbait-y nonsense, occasionally a bit accusatory in tone. Still, I'm glad I read it. Still, I'm hesitant to recommend it, at least not without a lot of caveats. I think the last few chapters did a lot of good to summarize the good stuff and cut down on the noise. Chapter 6 I think was the worst, not in terms of content but in how the writing handled the sensitive subject matter. The research and the tools are so compelling but the book is a slog.

I read the second edition, by the way. Not sure how much has changed from the first.

Subjects

  • Interpersonal communication
  • Interpersonal relations