Crucial Conversations

I need to post this book review for my class.....

Crucial Conversations has helped thousands of people have success in high stakes situations.  No more whimpering, no more whining.  From demanding bosses to mother-in-laws, this book gives tools and tips to truly handle conversations we would normally avoid.  There is a delicate balance between confidence and arrogance, meekness and spineless, it takes practice to get it just right.  But with Crucial Conversations as a guide, it will become easier to take communication and satisfaction to a whole new level.

In the beginning we learn that a crucial conversation is “A discussion between two or more people where (1) stakes are high, (2) opinions vary, and (3) emotions run strong. Throughout the book we were taught many concepts and ways that we can communicate our ideas in critical situations. Some of the many situations which these conversations could take place are: ending a relationship, critiquing a colleague’s work, asking a roommate to move out, giving an unfavorable performance review, and asking in-laws to quit interfering.  In any situation it is great to know how to better communicate to others.

One of the main points that I really enjoyed was how we need to start with the heart. We need to remember, “the only person you can directly control is yourself,” and focus on what you really want.  It continues to talk about how we need to look, we need to see others point of view, and to be aware of where the conversation is going.

It goes on about our personal decision-making, how we need to be aware of our actions, and about the way we react to a difference in opinion. In one section it has a personal survey to see how you react in various situations, I really enjoyed this section because it gave us as a reader and opportunity to see how  he/she personally reacted in different situations. It was really interesting to see how I personally react, and then how I should react in a conversation.

Overall, the book was great, it was very enlightening and I learned so much. I would recommend the book to anyone. Every person will take part in a crucial conversation sometime in our lives.  In this cat-and-mouse game of getting our point across, to succeed we need to have a plan.  Crucial Conversations gives the roadmap, and now it’s time to take the road less argued by.