Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High

by Kerry Patterson

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.

under the influence of adrenaline we start to see our options as unnecessarily limited.

There are some people I’m rough on because, to be honest, in the moment I feel like they need or deserve what I give them.

Because 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.