Crucial Conversations (Third Edition)

Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High

By: Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, Emily Gregory

Narrated by: Emily Gregory, Joseph Grenny

The book that revolutionized business communications has been updated for today's workplace. Crucial Conversations provides powerful skills to ensure every conversation - especially difficult ones - leads to the results you want. Written in an engaging and witty style, it teaches listeners how to be persuasive rather than abrasive, how to get back to productive dialogue when others blow up or clam up, and it offers powerful skills for mastering high-stakes conversations, regardless of the topic or person.

This new edition addresses issues that have arisen in recent years. You'll learn how to: respond when someone initiates a crucial conversation with you; identify and address the lag time between identifying a problem and discussing it; and communicate more effectively across digital mediums.

When stakes are high and emotions run strong, you have three choices: avoid a crucial conversation and suffer the consequences; handle the conversation poorly and suffer the consequences; or apply the lessons and strategies of Crucial Conversations and improve relationships and results. Whether they take place at work or at home, crucial conversations have a profound impact on your career, your happiness, and your future. With the skills you learn in this book, you'll never have to worry about the outcome of a crucial conversation again.

©2022 VitalSmarts (P)2021 McGraw Hill-Ascent Audio

Gave me a direction to row

Growing up in a home where conversations were usually disasters, I as an adult need a lot of help in this area. I wish there were more examples of conversations in relationships instead of workplace conversations. Maybe a separate book specifically for those more intimate family life conversations would be nice. Though I’m grateful for those who have researched this topic and identified specific actions that we can take to improve our conversation skills in all aspects of our lives. It’s a little overwhelming to compile all that you need to remember to do in order to have a successful conversation so I appreciated the author pointing us to two skills to start with. Right now I feel like I’m a little row boat in the middle of the ocean and I have a long way to row to get to land. It’s going to take a lot of work but I have the desire to improve and now I have direction. I know where land is thanks to this book and I think that makes all the difference.

Great book if you have not had any formal education.

This book is a great resource. It helps us evaluate our communication skills and improve on them. Its key recommendations help us become better listeners, proficient communicators, improved logical/critical thinkers/problem solvers, and breaks down our barriers to understanding other when conversations get heated or difficult.

I do however believe this is a little redundant if you have had proper higher education such as a doctorate, a law degree, etc. The advice it provides will help many and can be of a good review if you are looking to have a better communication skill, but ultimately is not something completely revolutionary.

If you are a health professional or a seasoned manager, you know that deescalation and common goals in conversations (just to name some methods) is extremely important to neutralize a confrontational conversation with patients, family members, and potential/returning clients.

It is probably best suited for those just starting out in whatever field they are in, or for those in the middle of their degrees.

Very informative

I recommend this book to my family, friends, and coworkers. Everyone will benefit from this information.

Calls out bad habits

Calls out your bad habits in conversations and handling conflict. Hard to listen to but good to work to fix.

A lot of great tools for communication.

I enjoyed this book, it felt direct and offered a lot tools I can use to guide future interactions.