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Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High, Third Edition
1 pages, Audio CD
Published December 7, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
April 25, 2024
Read (listened) to this for work. Man I hate self help books.
February 6, 2024
Gosh this book was a struggle to get through (hence it taking me nearly a year to finish LOL). I feel like there are so many great principles in this book and that there are genuine takeaways I can and hope to apply professionally and personally. But that’s also the problem - there are SO MANY takeaways. The number of acronyms and lists that they encourage you to apply in a situation are, quite frankly, overwhelming. This would be a good book to keep on your shelf as a reference, but I think will be tough to organically apply on its own.
November 12, 2025
read for work
June 27, 2024
One of those popular psychology books that I actually believe to be beneficial. Communicating well, active listening, true exchange of ideas, that shit ain't easy. Will definitely recommend.
On the flip side, an all white male business consultant group of authors. A female medical doctor was added for the 3rd edition.
Talks for less than one page about cultural differences. Says nothing of neurodivergence. So a very privileged and traditional approach to business and success. The example of talking to employees who only just do the job...yeah, covid made us quit quietly darlings, there are bigger issues than communication at play there like toxic work expectations and capitalism.
Like any other self help book, it's just a collection of the ingredients, not the recipe. Use what works for you.
On the flip side, an all white male business consultant group of authors. A female medical doctor was added for the 3rd edition.
Talks for less than one page about cultural differences. Says nothing of neurodivergence. So a very privileged and traditional approach to business and success. The example of talking to employees who only just do the job...yeah, covid made us quit quietly darlings, there are bigger issues than communication at play there like toxic work expectations and capitalism.
Like any other self help book, it's just a collection of the ingredients, not the recipe. Use what works for you.
January 19, 2024
Definitely would take a lot of practice to get all the skills down.
April 21, 2025
My regret is that I put this book off and ended up going through it a little too fast when it was time to read it. I hope to revisit someday.
First, listening to this book is a little rough since there are roughly a billion acronyms. Otherwise, it was great. Even without memorizing or "studying" the acronyms, the authors did a great job at identifying, explaining, and teaching principles about work and personal conversations. I was able to see things in my life (past and present) that related to the experience in the book, and use the tools immediately. Again, there was a ton of stuff, but the foundation was good enough to help people make changes.
3 stars because it was impactful, did not feel like a long read and stayed interesting, but would be better as a class or seminar with all the detailed lessons and acronyms.
First, listening to this book is a little rough since there are roughly a billion acronyms. Otherwise, it was great. Even without memorizing or "studying" the acronyms, the authors did a great job at identifying, explaining, and teaching principles about work and personal conversations. I was able to see things in my life (past and present) that related to the experience in the book, and use the tools immediately. Again, there was a ton of stuff, but the foundation was good enough to help people make changes.
3 stars because it was impactful, did not feel like a long read and stayed interesting, but would be better as a class or seminar with all the detailed lessons and acronyms.
Read
April 17, 2025Rarely has a book ever felt so instantly applicable. Some people might be good enough at difficult conversations not to really need this book, but for those of us who aren’t good at them, this is a very important book to read. It was also a very stressful read because it made me think about real and imaginary difficult conversations that I would love to avoid. So just be aware that if you have an aversion to conflict, this book may get your heart racing a bit. For that reason I want to sit with it and give it a rating after some time has passed.
December 24, 2025
This book was lent to me by my new boss when I asked if there was any books or classes he recommended for someone stepping into a supervisory role. After a few chapters I purchased my own copy of the audiobook version because I knew I’d want to revisit the lessons as they became more relevant to me as I progressed in my new position.
The audio version is extremely engaging, as this novel is a class in itself it could’ve been delivered very straight up and boring but the chosen narrators are clearly professionals in public speaking and delivered it more like an engaging seminar or a TED talk.
Would recommend this to anyone who wants to work on their communication skills, professionally and personally.
The audio version is extremely engaging, as this novel is a class in itself it could’ve been delivered very straight up and boring but the chosen narrators are clearly professionals in public speaking and delivered it more like an engaging seminar or a TED talk.
Would recommend this to anyone who wants to work on their communication skills, professionally and personally.
September 8, 2025
I work in communications. This is one of the most valuable books I’ve ever read on the topic, and I ordered my own copy to keep on hand as a reference. The drawback: I had to order that copy. There are too many models, too many acronyms, too high a density of intended takeaways for reading and note taking. That said, I don’t want to negate the power of this content. When many business books are the equivalent of a blog post expanded to 250 pages, this one offers true benefit if you can stick with it! Read it in chunks, use it as a reference, and practice the methods as you go. You will absolutely find value.
January 29, 2025
High ratings for this book as it gives a lot of information for dealing with difficult situations and how to manage them and turn them into productive conversations. There are a lot of take-aways but the multiple examples allow you to tuck the idea for management away for later. Definitely one to come back to again and again.
March 4, 2026
I'm going to need to revisit this one over and over. I feel like they really nailed it. Solid tips on how to approach and structure those tricky and important conversations in your life. I guess it's a classic for a reason.
October 23, 2024
The is quality but very hr coded
March 21, 2025
Good for what it is. Realistic tips for home and work.
October 31, 2025
Read for a work book club. Great thoughts and concepts to discuss and use.
Read
October 28, 2024An amazing book that helps you with tools to converse in difficult or uncomfortable situations
June 9, 2025
bet your bottom dollar my school books will be counted towards my reading goal
June 18, 2025
Amazing-if everyone lived by this book, the world would be a different place
February 23, 2026
This is a book about having better conversations when stakes and emotions are high, which is something the authors call, 'Crucial Conversations'. I think there is some useful content in here which will be helpful when having difficult conversations with people but the book has a couple of flaws which limited my enjoyment of the book. The first is in tone, the second is in the theory and practice.
First off, the tone. The book makes a huge attempt to ensure participants in a conversation enter into dialogue, and yet the language of the examples are almost laughable, because they are not how real people speak in a personal or professional setting. I can hear the conversations, and I am thinking that if I heard them the person would think I am being disingenuous! There is limited emphasis on body language and tone in here and I can't help think that since this is written by Americans who always have an unnatural tone in business books, it feels like there is a lack of warmth - despite what the words say.
There are countless examples of work and personal situations, and difficult conversations and I would say ALL of them have a sense of coercion in them and the exerting of a power dynamic (despite the book's claims it isn't about that) and 95% have an example where someone works late, works weekends, pulls an all-nighter, is late, isn't going the extra mile. It becomes a little vomit inducing reading different variations of people running through walls (or not) for their employer and a spouse unhappy about it. (We reach a peak where two teams are arguing whether to work all night or work weekend and decide to split the Saturday because some wanted to go to a colleagues wedding! Like, MAYBE, if a colleague is getting married, we don't bother at all with this Saturday nonsense, and maybe we don't work late either - the world won't end!). I know it only sounds like a small thing, but the values of the authors are laid bare. If all you can think of for Crucial Conversations is variations on working late or putting work before family it tells me the REAL values, not the espoused values of the authors.
Which brings me to my second criticism. That of power and privilege. The book says these conversations can cross power dynamic lines but there is a very real nod to the leadership or managerial professional here and though inclusive names and genders are used throughout there is barely a nod to neurodiversity, or cultural norms or how different people experience threat and dialogue or rapport. There is a chapter on decision making, and I agree, when people talk and you need an outcome you need to know who is doing what sometimes. The book outlines four decision types in a page or so - Command, Consult, Vote, Consensus. These are not the only decision making frameworks and the book places an incredibly high value on the authority of the manager in a hierarchical organisation. I strongly agree that people are aware of the conditions of decision making and the power dynamics but the assumptions and limitations in this section are weak.
This book is a case of, 'even though it says one thing, it is clearly aimed at leaders to get people to do what they want'. Sorry - it drips from every page.
All that said, there is useful content in here that can be useful for addressing challenging conversations and I will use some of it (I noted whilst reading that some of the content was introduced to me via another method as it formed part of a 'responding to change' session).
To summarise. The book asks to be mindful of two principles 1) Learn to Look - Be aware of when you are not in dialogue and be mindful of you or others slipping into silence (not engaging) or violence (lashing out, heightened emotions). Essentially these are 'flight or fight' emotional responses. 2) Make It Safe - if a conversation is slipping into the silence or violence, seek to find ways to get back into dialogue, such as showing interest, recognising people's emotions, showing you respect them.
The book often makes a difficult challenge to the reader to ask oneself, 'assume this person is a rational, decent human being' - even if they are saying or doing something you abhor or disagree with strongly. I'm not comfortable with 'both sides', especially when people may be harmed (and yes, political discussions can fall into this, despite what the book suggests) but I do think we need to see the perspectives of others and that can be very hard sometimes.
The framework for conversations is:
1) Choose Your Topic - this means unpicking the matters at hand, and simplifying to what you really want. I find the concepts of content, process and relationship quite useful here, because we often want to talk about content (you left your socks on the floor), when we're annoyed about a pattern (you always leave your socks on the floor) when what we really want to discuss is a relationship issue (I am upset and hurt that you treat me as a domestic servant expecting me to pick up after you). These levels signify the depth and challenge of a conversation, with content being easier than relationship ones (which are the ones we avoid for a quiet life and privately seethe).
2) Start with your heart - this will be a challenge for some, but it asks us to examine our own behaviour first. Are we acting in good faith? Are we genuinely caring about someone or do we have other motives? Have we created a Villain of someone else, a Victim of ourselves, or depicted ourselves as Helpless? I often find at work Villains are created everywhere and I find I have a much easier time of it NOT creating cartoon villains and recognising most people are just trying to get through the day. There is part of this book which indirectly suggests repressing our emotional responses and I don't really agree with that, but I do agree that we do give out signals all day and others can read them, even if we think they don't. It's made me think about people who annoy me and what I give out to them in turn.
3) STATE my Path - there are lots of acronyms in the book but this is effectively, Share your facts, tell your story, Ask for other perspectives, speak Tentatively and Encourage testing. It kind of makes sense. Deal with the facts as you see them, share what that has led to you to believe, check that out and invite challenge and alternatives, don't try to win or bash people down and explore alternative ways forward. This ensures we deal with the real issue and not sugarcoating things or speaking about other things.
4) Explore Others Paths - This is another acronym but essentially asks the participant to listen, reflect back, get to the heart of the matter for the other person. It asks the participant to focus on what can be agreed on, build on that and compare differences and alternatives.
5) Retake your pen - this is essentially to take feedback and recognise that you own it. You can choose what you accept or do not. You have agency in how you feel, think and respond to it.
6) Decisions and actions - Decide who will do what and when, note any agreements and how you will follow up.
It's got some okay stuff in this, but like a lot of American business books it feels like it is written by a rotten AI so if you can tune that out you may get something out of this.
First off, the tone. The book makes a huge attempt to ensure participants in a conversation enter into dialogue, and yet the language of the examples are almost laughable, because they are not how real people speak in a personal or professional setting. I can hear the conversations, and I am thinking that if I heard them the person would think I am being disingenuous! There is limited emphasis on body language and tone in here and I can't help think that since this is written by Americans who always have an unnatural tone in business books, it feels like there is a lack of warmth - despite what the words say.
There are countless examples of work and personal situations, and difficult conversations and I would say ALL of them have a sense of coercion in them and the exerting of a power dynamic (despite the book's claims it isn't about that) and 95% have an example where someone works late, works weekends, pulls an all-nighter, is late, isn't going the extra mile. It becomes a little vomit inducing reading different variations of people running through walls (or not) for their employer and a spouse unhappy about it. (We reach a peak where two teams are arguing whether to work all night or work weekend and decide to split the Saturday because some wanted to go to a colleagues wedding! Like, MAYBE, if a colleague is getting married, we don't bother at all with this Saturday nonsense, and maybe we don't work late either - the world won't end!). I know it only sounds like a small thing, but the values of the authors are laid bare. If all you can think of for Crucial Conversations is variations on working late or putting work before family it tells me the REAL values, not the espoused values of the authors.
Which brings me to my second criticism. That of power and privilege. The book says these conversations can cross power dynamic lines but there is a very real nod to the leadership or managerial professional here and though inclusive names and genders are used throughout there is barely a nod to neurodiversity, or cultural norms or how different people experience threat and dialogue or rapport. There is a chapter on decision making, and I agree, when people talk and you need an outcome you need to know who is doing what sometimes. The book outlines four decision types in a page or so - Command, Consult, Vote, Consensus. These are not the only decision making frameworks and the book places an incredibly high value on the authority of the manager in a hierarchical organisation. I strongly agree that people are aware of the conditions of decision making and the power dynamics but the assumptions and limitations in this section are weak.
This book is a case of, 'even though it says one thing, it is clearly aimed at leaders to get people to do what they want'. Sorry - it drips from every page.
All that said, there is useful content in here that can be useful for addressing challenging conversations and I will use some of it (I noted whilst reading that some of the content was introduced to me via another method as it formed part of a 'responding to change' session).
To summarise. The book asks to be mindful of two principles 1) Learn to Look - Be aware of when you are not in dialogue and be mindful of you or others slipping into silence (not engaging) or violence (lashing out, heightened emotions). Essentially these are 'flight or fight' emotional responses. 2) Make It Safe - if a conversation is slipping into the silence or violence, seek to find ways to get back into dialogue, such as showing interest, recognising people's emotions, showing you respect them.
The book often makes a difficult challenge to the reader to ask oneself, 'assume this person is a rational, decent human being' - even if they are saying or doing something you abhor or disagree with strongly. I'm not comfortable with 'both sides', especially when people may be harmed (and yes, political discussions can fall into this, despite what the book suggests) but I do think we need to see the perspectives of others and that can be very hard sometimes.
The framework for conversations is:
1) Choose Your Topic - this means unpicking the matters at hand, and simplifying to what you really want. I find the concepts of content, process and relationship quite useful here, because we often want to talk about content (you left your socks on the floor), when we're annoyed about a pattern (you always leave your socks on the floor) when what we really want to discuss is a relationship issue (I am upset and hurt that you treat me as a domestic servant expecting me to pick up after you). These levels signify the depth and challenge of a conversation, with content being easier than relationship ones (which are the ones we avoid for a quiet life and privately seethe).
2) Start with your heart - this will be a challenge for some, but it asks us to examine our own behaviour first. Are we acting in good faith? Are we genuinely caring about someone or do we have other motives? Have we created a Villain of someone else, a Victim of ourselves, or depicted ourselves as Helpless? I often find at work Villains are created everywhere and I find I have a much easier time of it NOT creating cartoon villains and recognising most people are just trying to get through the day. There is part of this book which indirectly suggests repressing our emotional responses and I don't really agree with that, but I do agree that we do give out signals all day and others can read them, even if we think they don't. It's made me think about people who annoy me and what I give out to them in turn.
3) STATE my Path - there are lots of acronyms in the book but this is effectively, Share your facts, tell your story, Ask for other perspectives, speak Tentatively and Encourage testing. It kind of makes sense. Deal with the facts as you see them, share what that has led to you to believe, check that out and invite challenge and alternatives, don't try to win or bash people down and explore alternative ways forward. This ensures we deal with the real issue and not sugarcoating things or speaking about other things.
4) Explore Others Paths - This is another acronym but essentially asks the participant to listen, reflect back, get to the heart of the matter for the other person. It asks the participant to focus on what can be agreed on, build on that and compare differences and alternatives.
5) Retake your pen - this is essentially to take feedback and recognise that you own it. You can choose what you accept or do not. You have agency in how you feel, think and respond to it.
6) Decisions and actions - Decide who will do what and when, note any agreements and how you will follow up.
It's got some okay stuff in this, but like a lot of American business books it feels like it is written by a rotten AI so if you can tune that out you may get something out of this.
April 4, 2025
Lots of good advice, acronyms, and things that will be difficult to remember when tensions run high and you're actually trying to navigate a crucial conversation. Probably better to read it chapter at a time, than listen to the audio like I did. Unfortunately, I found it sort of dry and much like a textbook. Unlikely to make profound impact, knowing my learning style.
October 27, 2024
Cómo llevar conversaciones importantes y cruciales a buen puerto, pienso que es una de las habilidades más ignoradas en la vida profesional y personal.
En muchas ocasiones creemos que simplemente es parte de la vida y listo, que no hay mucho que hacer. Nos resignamos diciendo: “es parte de mi personalidad”, “es la otra persona”, “no me entienden”, etc.
Este libro es una clara muestra de que siempre hay una mejor manera de hacerlo.
Al terminar de leerlo, me quedé con la sensación de “¡wow! Hay mucho que mejorar”, y veo claramente que esta es una habilidad que va a requerir múltiples lecturas de este y otros libros sobre conversaciones y comunicación. Afortunadamente presenta frameworks de cómo hacerlo bien. A un punto de que preferiría ignorarlo.
Honestamente es un skill intimidante. No es fácil, requiere conocimiento, MUCHA práctica y un auténtico interés por mejorar las habilidades de comunicación.
Como todo lo que vale la pena en la vida, no es sencillo. Requiere esfuerzo y dedicación, pero las recompensas son grandiosas para llevar una vida feliz y plena.
En muchas ocasiones creemos que simplemente es parte de la vida y listo, que no hay mucho que hacer. Nos resignamos diciendo: “es parte de mi personalidad”, “es la otra persona”, “no me entienden”, etc.
Este libro es una clara muestra de que siempre hay una mejor manera de hacerlo.
Al terminar de leerlo, me quedé con la sensación de “¡wow! Hay mucho que mejorar”, y veo claramente que esta es una habilidad que va a requerir múltiples lecturas de este y otros libros sobre conversaciones y comunicación. Afortunadamente presenta frameworks de cómo hacerlo bien. A un punto de que preferiría ignorarlo.
Honestamente es un skill intimidante. No es fácil, requiere conocimiento, MUCHA práctica y un auténtico interés por mejorar las habilidades de comunicación.
Como todo lo que vale la pena en la vida, no es sencillo. Requiere esfuerzo y dedicación, pero las recompensas son grandiosas para llevar una vida feliz y plena.
January 26, 2025
This book was recommended by a former supervisor whose leadership style really admire.
I found some really useful strategies for having tough conversations with others, both in a work environment and in the "real" world. As we wade into a hazy political future, I think this book might be particularly valuable even though it is fairly work-oriented.
I also found that while the book didn't touch on this specifically, I gained some lessons in how to talk to myself when my internal conversations start getting very critical. How to temper my responses, how to process my emotions, etc.
There is a lot to remember, and it has a few irksome moments that most self-help books tend to have (overlong intro, so many "help you remember" acronyms that you need an acronym to remember the acronyms) but I think a lot of the important elements will stick with me and help me to become a better communicator. Which is to say that this book succeeds at what it is trying to do, and I can see why it is so frequently read and recommended.
I found some really useful strategies for having tough conversations with others, both in a work environment and in the "real" world. As we wade into a hazy political future, I think this book might be particularly valuable even though it is fairly work-oriented.
I also found that while the book didn't touch on this specifically, I gained some lessons in how to talk to myself when my internal conversations start getting very critical. How to temper my responses, how to process my emotions, etc.
There is a lot to remember, and it has a few irksome moments that most self-help books tend to have (overlong intro, so many "help you remember" acronyms that you need an acronym to remember the acronyms) but I think a lot of the important elements will stick with me and help me to become a better communicator. Which is to say that this book succeeds at what it is trying to do, and I can see why it is so frequently read and recommended.
April 19, 2025
Great tips for having important conversations, both professional and personal. That said... there were a lot of acronyms/steps/phases to have to remember. Trying to remember all during a time when emotions are high would be difficult for most people.
Overall, these are my main takeaways for dealing with crucial conversations:
- "Start with heart": Establish that you have good intentions. Also, be honest with yourself... are your intentions actually good?
- "Make it safe": Show that you're open to hearing someone's real opinions and that you won't punish them for giving an answer you don't like.
- Agree on a mutual purpose. Don't frame the issue as "Me vs. You," but rather "Me and you vs. the problem."
- Don't tell yourself "Stories": Keep in mind what are facts, and what are assumptions (or "stories") that you're making up about the other person's behavior. When things get heated, empathize by thinking "Why would a reasonable, rational person have this reaction?"
- Agree on follow-ups.
Overall, these are my main takeaways for dealing with crucial conversations:
- "Start with heart": Establish that you have good intentions. Also, be honest with yourself... are your intentions actually good?
- "Make it safe": Show that you're open to hearing someone's real opinions and that you won't punish them for giving an answer you don't like.
- Agree on a mutual purpose. Don't frame the issue as "Me vs. You," but rather "Me and you vs. the problem."
- Don't tell yourself "Stories": Keep in mind what are facts, and what are assumptions (or "stories") that you're making up about the other person's behavior. When things get heated, empathize by thinking "Why would a reasonable, rational person have this reaction?"
- Agree on follow-ups.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2025
I believe social skills are a skill to be studied and improved upon like any other. The problem is there are no academic qualifications or authorities on social skills. So called ‘self help’ books are of variable quality and often written by authors imparting counter productive advice.
Crucial conversations is one of the best books which based on years of research. However it is the opposite of most self help books which are 10% content and 90% inspirational examples. There is a lot to take in, and as it focuses on high stakes conflict based scenarios the opportunity to practice what you’ve learnt doesn’t come often so it takes a bit of graft to take it in.
For those new to such books, How to win friends and influence people or captivate might be better starting points. However this book is worth reading alone for the introduction on how to handle your emotions in emotional or anxiety inducing conversations.
Crucial conversations is one of the best books which based on years of research. However it is the opposite of most self help books which are 10% content and 90% inspirational examples. There is a lot to take in, and as it focuses on high stakes conflict based scenarios the opportunity to practice what you’ve learnt doesn’t come often so it takes a bit of graft to take it in.
For those new to such books, How to win friends and influence people or captivate might be better starting points. However this book is worth reading alone for the introduction on how to handle your emotions in emotional or anxiety inducing conversations.
January 21, 2026
This book will change your life if you put the concepts learned into practice. I've failed many times in conversations since I've read it, but I've succeeded in more.
Memorable Quotes:
“People who are skilled at dialogue do their best to make it safe for everyone to add their meaning to the shared pool--even ideas that at first glance appear controversial, wrong, or at odds with their own beliefs. Now, obviously they don't agree with every idea; they simply do their best to ensure that all ideas find their way into the open.”
“Respect is like air. As long as it's present, nobody thinks about it. But if you take it away, it's all that people can think about. The instant people perceive disrespect in a conversation, the interaction is no longer about the original purpose—it is now about defending dignity.”
Memorable Quotes:
“People who are skilled at dialogue do their best to make it safe for everyone to add their meaning to the shared pool--even ideas that at first glance appear controversial, wrong, or at odds with their own beliefs. Now, obviously they don't agree with every idea; they simply do their best to ensure that all ideas find their way into the open.”
“Respect is like air. As long as it's present, nobody thinks about it. But if you take it away, it's all that people can think about. The instant people perceive disrespect in a conversation, the interaction is no longer about the original purpose—it is now about defending dignity.”
February 12, 2025
Turned out to have some really valuable insights into communication.
Identifying whether a conversation is Content, Process, or Relationship based alone can untangle a number of uncomfortable and confusing interactions, especially in the workplace.
Trying to communicate from the heart and postpone hasty generalizations or unhelpful narratives can lead us to see things as they really are in our interpersonal relationships.
As some other reviewers mention, there is more in this book than can reasonably be put into practice immediately and some of our most primal instincts (the fight/flight response for example) work subconsciously against us when we are trying to make reasonable decisions in high-intensity conversations.
That doesn’t mean we cannot try to communicate better.
Identifying whether a conversation is Content, Process, or Relationship based alone can untangle a number of uncomfortable and confusing interactions, especially in the workplace.
Trying to communicate from the heart and postpone hasty generalizations or unhelpful narratives can lead us to see things as they really are in our interpersonal relationships.
As some other reviewers mention, there is more in this book than can reasonably be put into practice immediately and some of our most primal instincts (the fight/flight response for example) work subconsciously against us when we are trying to make reasonable decisions in high-intensity conversations.
That doesn’t mean we cannot try to communicate better.
June 12, 2024
The writers did qualitative research in business settings to identify the best ways to engage in crucial conversations. They introduce the "fools choice", which is a common dilemma people encounter in both personal and professional situations. It is the dilemma between saying something and staying quiet when the conversation could have detrimental outcomes. I valued the insights this book gave and appreciated the research based approach. Unfortunately, there was some religious content in the later chapters which I found deviated from the research based information contained in most of the book. It was a good read.
October 10, 2024
I found this to be very enlightening on seeing how I think versus what is a more logical line of thought, and how that affects my conversations and relationships.
While the book was extremely helpful in that, there were sections that I found would have been significantly improved had Biblical truths been applied. The authors sometimes left space for that, which was fine (but felt incomplete), but at other times they missed the mark as a result. Even so, it was one I’d like to return to for more refinement of these newly-learned skills!
The audiobook was excellent, and likely the only way I finished it this decade.
While the book was extremely helpful in that, there were sections that I found would have been significantly improved had Biblical truths been applied. The authors sometimes left space for that, which was fine (but felt incomplete), but at other times they missed the mark as a result. Even so, it was one I’d like to return to for more refinement of these newly-learned skills!
The audiobook was excellent, and likely the only way I finished it this decade.
August 13, 2025
This book had a lot of good information in it and certainly made me look hard at the conversations I've been avoiding. It affirmed that I already do a good job in the conversations I have, but highlighted the pitfalls of avoiding conversations that need to be had in an effort to "smooth things over" when it really only makes things worse.
My main negative with this book is that I felt it was constantly trying to justify itself and it's authors by talking about the places where the concepts had "made a huge impact" or some such platitude. We've already bought the book. We're reading it. You don't need to keep selling us on it. The material itself should do that.
My main negative with this book is that I felt it was constantly trying to justify itself and it's authors by talking about the places where the concepts had "made a huge impact" or some such platitude. We've already bought the book. We're reading it. You don't need to keep selling us on it. The material itself should do that.
September 23, 2025
Communication is one of those areas that everyone needs to work on. Whether you’re having conversations with your business partner, an employee, or your significant other, clear, cooperative communication is essential to moving forward with understanding. This is a book on improving our communication skills particularly when they are high-stakes conversations. The authors walk you through many scenarios and dissect how those critical exchanges could and should go. Again, the skills described can be utilized in business or in your personal lives. I highly recommend this book. 5 out of 5 stars
November 12, 2025
It really started off well and it seemed manageable. However, with each chapter came a new set of acronyms to remember what to do in a given conversation. After 4 or 5 chapters, the acronyms and what I'm supposed to do just became a bowl of acronym soup. So, yes, lots of helpful information. However, it would really take deliberate thought and practice to identify the particular situation, then to recall the appropriate acronym, then remember what each letter in the acronym stands for, and then do it. Not that it wouldn't be worthwhile to go through that, but it seems as if it could be made easier.
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