Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most

"You will face difficult conversations throughout your life, but now you can learn how to cope with them. This book provides a framework and various strategies for achieving better outcomes from hard exchanges. Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton and Sheila Heen use principles, illustrative stories and charts to teach you how to understand the components of challenging conversations, and how to prepare for them and transform them into something constructive. The language of the book is clear, insightful, concise and always helpful. You can use these principles in business, but the stories also concern relationships in your everyday life. We say everyone from teenagers to mature adults can use the communication skills discussed in this wise book. "
~ Written on 2007-10-22

"An extremely useful book which should be compulsory reading for anyone who has experienced difficult conversations in their personal or professional life which I suspect is all of us. The "identity conversation" in particular is of crucial importance and often neglected in other books on interpersonal transactions and negotiations."
~ Written on 2001-07-21

"Difficult Conversations gives you an excellent introduction in simple language to interpersonal skills. If you read through it and think about the lessons and anecdotes you get real insights into how you can resolve pointless conflicts and live a happier life! For Psychology PhDs this may seem dumbed down but for the average punter it could be worth its weight in gold."
~ Written on 2001-01-09

"This is a helpful book. The authors draw from a variety of conceptual frameworks on behavior but blend them skillfully to present a coherent work. I have already re-analyzed the difficult conversations I had had in the past in light of this book and even used some of the techniques in real life situations. I wish I had read such a book years ago which would have spared so many difficult conversations. Some readers may recognize some of the theories (the authors do acknowledge Argyris et al. in the Foreword) but it does not lessen the quality of the book."
~ Written on 1999-04-30