false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173920899m/345470.jpg 345470 1 This book has served me so well in my new job. I can't tell you how many times I have pulled the book off the shelf to get some direction in creating my own questions. It has been a great asset in helping me have meaningful and directed conversations at a critical time in my new job. And it has saved me precious time. - Great book!?Marlene Lockwood, Group Leader, St. Helen's Hospital, Deer Park, California <P>Communication within many organizations has been reduced to email, electronic file transfer, and hasty sound bytes at hurried meetings. More and more, people appear to have forgotten the value of wisdom gained by ordinary conversations. <P>But, at different times in history, conversation has been regarded as an art form - a crucial component of human relations. Conversation has the power to solve a problem, heal a wound, generate commitment, bond a team, generate new options, or build a vision. Conversations can shift working patterns, build friendships, create focus and energy, cement resolve. <P>The Art of Focused Conversation convincingly restores this most human of attributes to prime place within businesses and organizations, and demonstrates what can be accomplished through the medium of focused conversation. The first Part describes the theory and background of the conversation method, which has been effectively used for group consensus making in: 1) problem solving; 2) troubleshooting; 3) coaching; 4) research and 5) interpretation of data. It also discusses how to prepare a conversation, how to lead a conversation, and what the common mistakes are. Part two then provides 100 sample conversations designed for use in many different situations, including: 1) reviewing and evaluating; 2) preparation and planning; 3) coaching, and mentoring; 4) data and media interpretation; 5) decision making; 6) managing and supervising; and 7) personal reflection and group celebrations. <P>Developed, tested, and extensively used by professionals in the field of organizational development, <I>The Art of Focused Conversation</I> is an invaluable resource for all those working to improve communications in firms and organizations. <P>"This book is absolutely fabulous. I started it last night, used a whole bunch of stuff 335780 1 4 2000 The Art of Focused Conversation: 100 Ways to Access Group Wisdom in the Workplace (ICA Series) total:5|5:3|4:2| 5 23 15 0 0 0 false false Mon Oct 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 18:41:06 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 05 20:20:20 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jul 13 06:59:51 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 07:00:14 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jun 01 16:04:08 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 01 16:04:08 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon May 11 16:16:02 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 16:16:02 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri May 01 18:29:19 -0700 2009 Fri May 01 18:29:19 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Feb 19 21:15:02 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 19 21:15:02 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Thu Jan 29 11:01:43 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 29 11:01:47 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sat Oct 25 19:26:05 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 07 19:56:23 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Aug 27 03:03:56 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 27 03:03:56 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Thu Apr 24 10:02:53 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 24 10:03:06 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Sat Apr 05 05:04:52 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 05 05:04:52 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Thu Feb 21 10:20:44 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 21 10:20:44 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Mon Feb 11 12:55:17 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 11 12:55:17 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Thu Dec 27 20:07:30 -0800 2007 Thu Dec 27 20:07:30 -0800 2007 5 0 false false Sat Oct 27 13:46:13 -0700 2007 Sat Oct 27 13:46:13 -0700 2007 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=345470