Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most - Softcover

"Does this book deliver on its promise of an effective way through sticky situations, whether 'with your babysitter or your biggest client'? It does."
--The New York Times

"These talented communicators blend a daunting array of disciplines into highly readable and practical advice."
--Booklist

"I'm on my third reading. Half the pages are dog-eared. This is a mind-bogglingly powerful book. For life."
--Tom Peters

"A user-friendly guide to mastering the talks we dread . . . a keeper."
--Fast Company

"Emotional intelligence applied to life's toughest moments."
--Daniel Goleman, bestselling author of Working with Emotional Intelligence

"The only people who shouldn't read Difficult Conversations are those who never work with people, anywhere."
--Peter M. Senge, bestselling author of The Fifth Discipline

"How do you confront your ex-spouse who's late picking up the kids? How do you tell a client their project took longer than expected and the bill is twice as high? How do you say 'I'm sorry'? Start by picking up Difficult Conversations."
--Citizen

"Difficult Conversations will be appreciated by readers who wish to improve oral communication in all aspects of their daily lives."
--Library Journal

"Stone, Patton, and Heen illustrate their points with anecdotes, scripted conversations and familiar examples in a clear, easy-to-browse format."
--Publishers Weekly

"The central insights of Difficult Conversations so resonate with common sense that it is easy to overlook just how remarkable of a book it is . . . a must-read."
--Harvard Negotiation Law Review

"Examples more clear-headed and advice more precise than we've seen before."
--Dallas Morning News

"Stone, Patton, and Heen have written an extremely clear and unpretentious exposition of how to develop effective communication skills and a guide to achieving openness and constructive outcomes in dialogue . . . this book is, and probably for some time to come will be definitive."
--Southern Communication Journal

The 10th-anniversary edition of the New York Times business bestseller-now updated with "Answers to Ten Questions People Ask"

We attempt or avoid difficult conversations every day-whether dealing with an underperforming employee, disagreeing with a spouse, or negotiating with a client. From the Harvard Negotiation Project, the organization that brought you Getting to Yes, Difficult Conversations provides a step-by-step approach to having those tough conversations with less stress and more success. you'll learn how to:

· Decipher the underlying structure of every difficult conversation 
· Start a conversation without defensiveness 
· Listen for the meaning of what is not said 
· Stay balanced in the face of attacks and accusations
· Move from emotion to productive problem solving