Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most

by Bruce Patton (Author), Douglas Stone (Author), SheilaHeen (Author)

• New

  Paperback
  2011

  $12.39

  We've all been there: We know we must talk to a colleague, our boss or event a friend about something we know will be at least uncomfortable and at worst explosive. So we repeatedly mull it over until we can no longer put it off, and then finally stumble through a confrontation when we could have had a conversation. Difficult Conversations is the definitive work on handling these unpleasant exchanges, based on 15 years of research at the Harvard Negotiation Project. It teaches us to work through them by understand that we're not engaging in one dialogue but three: the what happened conversation (what do we believe was said and done), the feelings conversation (the emotional impact on everyone involved), and the identity conversation (what does this mean for everyone's opinion of themselves). In a world where asking for a pay rise, saying 'no' to your boss, asking a favour or apologizing for a mistake can be a horrendous nightmare, Difficult Conversations deserves its position as a business classic.

• Used

  Paperback
  1999

  $4.60

  A highly intelligent, indispensable guide to how to discuss the undiscussable: asking for a raise, ending a relationship, apologising. Being tactful is a good thing to be, but it's not the answer to the dilemma of difficult conversations. We need advice that is more powerful than 'handle it nicely' or 'be diplomatic'. The problems run deeper than that; so must the answers. DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS presents an invaluable step-by-step guide on how to deal with the most challenging conversations and even more importantly, how to improve relationships. More often than not, dealing constructively with tough topics and awkward situations deepens a relationship. And that's too good an opportunity to pass up.

• New

  Paperback
  2000

  $13.87

  What is a difficult conversation? Asking for a pay rise, saying 'no' to your boss or spouse, confronting a friend or neighbor, asking a difficult favor, apologizing. We all have conversations that we dread and find unpleasant. But can we develop the skills to make such situations less stressful and more productive? Based on fifteen years of research and consultations with thousands of people, Difficult Conversations pinpoints what works. Use this ground-breaking, step-by-step book to turn your difficult conversations into positive, problem-solving experiences.