Rating: 
Summary: Insightful, practical, engaging--an exceptional book!
Review: When I obtained a copy of Crucial Conversations, I had very high expectations of this book having read the authors' outstanding earlier work, The Balancing Act. I must say I wasn't disappointed; in fact, I was delighted! Crucial Conversations is an extremely insightful and very practical book. Indeed, it is a very rare combination to find a book that contains profound ideas as well as provides actionable tools and Crucial Conversations delivers both.The book addresses a topic that is largely misunderstood and vastly underestimated: high stakes dialogue. The authors define crucial conversations as those where 1) stakes are high, 2) opinions vary, and 3) emotions run strong, or in other words, much of both our professional and personal lives. We're all involved in crucial conversations at home and at work but most of us are not very aware of the interpersonal dynamics at play and/or we're unskilled in how to respond differently. The book helps the reader first understand the principles involved in "crucial conversations" but then also helps the reader develop real skills and abilities to choose or change their communication patterns. The end result is remarkable. The book's impact is a much bigger idea than simple communication--it's all about effective human interaction and getting results with and through people. The book is highly readable, extremely engaging and actually quite fun. It is filled with illustrations and stories from all walks of life: business examples, personal examples and family examples. The fact that the principles and skills the authors teach can be applied in all dimensions of life--work, home, personal--is very appealing to me and made the book extremely helpful on many fronts. I benefitted most from this book from a business standpoint and have found that applying these skills has made a real difference at work. I'm more courageous and more considerate at the same time. I understand people better but I especially understand myself better. I'm far more conscious and aware of my dialogue with others and I've greatly improved my skills and abilities to lead effectively. The bottom line is, I'm helping my company get better results and I'm far more effective personally. If more people in business were to apply these principles and skills in the frequent crucial conversations they have at work, they would make better decisions, achieve better results and do it all in a way that would build the trust and strengthen relationships. I couldn't give a book higher marks. Outstanding!
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Summary: Crucial Conversations: Helping You To Be All You Can Be
Review: Most books deliver well on the "what." Crucial Conversations delivers on the "how." Those "how to skills" are helping my direct reports and me change the culture of our division. More importantly, it is helping me to generate useful techniques that I can use at work, at home, and during my volunteer work with community service organizations. It has assisted me in identifying what I really want as I dialog with others and lays out the necessary steps to achieve my outcome(s) while maintaining good and positive human relationships. This book is a "must read" for organizational personnel and individuals who have become casual communicators in high stakes conversations, thus missing out on valuable and collaborative resolutions to problems, assisting in negatively labeling others, and settling on mediocre business and personal relationships.
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Summary: It helped me immediately!
Review: I see now why now why my principal gave others and me this book. Earlier today our committee of educators came up with a new program to replace a set of undefined steps that had us three months in arrears in our caseload. The unanimous and accepted consensus, I believe, only came about from applying the ideas in Crucial Conversations. Those that had disagreed with the new program did behave badly, but this did not side track the process. Applying the authors advice of keeping focused on what I want enabled me to avoid being sucked in. I offer one snippet the books ideals. They say, If you behaved badly apologize but if your intentions have been misunderstood don't apologize do a clarifying "don't/do" statement: "Don't think I mean this awful thing you have been thinking. Do realize that I mean this. They indicate that such statements are just the beginning of repairing what they call safety. This repair was crucial to obtaining today's agreement. Try it!
Rating: 
Summary: Very basic common sense!
Review: I was lead to believe there would be some ground beaking information in this book but it's really just common sense. I think everyone knows, when they're thinking straight, that just being true to yourself, honest, and respectfull of other people while holding to your point of view is the only way to truly get things done. And this is basically all this book says.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful & Actionable Way to Produce Results When It Matters
Review: Communication problems are everywhere ... and so are potential solutions! I've seen a lot of books and training programs that purport to teach people to be more effective communicators. Most teach tried-and-true, but old-and-generic, understandings and skills that help people become somewhat more effective. They do not, however, teach people to be really effective in those few important communication challenges that really matter. That is the contribution of Crucial Conversations. In my consulting practice, I've noticed repeatedly that many managers and executives don't take on the tough issues or don't handle them well or, even worse, handle them in a way that creates positive harm in their relationship with others. When I talk to them about their situations, I find that they know they can be better communicators on tough issues; they just don't know how! That's where Crucial Conversations adds real value. In my experience, the conceptual model and skill set captured in this book are, at the same time, both powerful and actionable! And, you will like the way this book is written...a series of good examples (from work and non-work settings) to exemplify each point and help readers relate to the principles and skills. I find myself regularly sending this book to people who are "stuck" and who need a new way to think about how they can take a more active, and more powerful, role in producing the results they want.
Rating:
Summary: Fundamental Truths
Review: As the program manager of a cross-functional product development team, I daily arbitrate or engage in emotionally charged crucial conversations. The principles in this book enable me to identify these crucial situations, diffuse tension, draw out meaning from each of the parties, and ultimately reach the best action plan possible. Most importantly, since I started using the principles in this book, mutual respect and unity on my team has increased dramatically--positional debate and argument is almost non-existent. Reading this book also helped me change my perspective of crucial conversations. Instead of fearing and avoiding them, I now recognize them as incredible opportunities for me to lead. My recurring thought as I read this book was that these are "fundamental truths". The authors use accessible writing with minimal jargon and no word invention. Additionally, they reinforce their theories with an abundance of applicable technique. These are not trendy gimmicks that manipulate people into agreeing with you. Rather, the authors teach fundamentally sound communication skills that enable the reader to fully understand others and then to explain their own perspective in a respectful, non-confrontational way. The principles taught in this book are universally applicable. Not only have I used them in business, but they also help me strengthen my communication with family. Likewise, I know I will use these skills in the team oriented Stanford MBA program that I will begin this fall.
Rating:
Summary: Really nice book
Review: Thanks for writing this book. Even just reading chapter 1 got my head in a new space and helped me begin to make changes in my life in areas that seemed so difficult before. Better than a book on conversation, this book really cuts to the heart of dealing with tough issues, what you can do about them, and how to get better results at work and at home. I want to meet these guys!
Rating:
Summary: Get unstuck!
Review: More than just good advice, this book walked me through how to get unstuck in my personal life and at work. I learned how to step up to and handle well a few tough subjects that I'd avoided for years. Now, my relationships at home and at work have improved--and I'm getting better results. Thanks so much for writing this book!
Rating:
Summary: Good Read
Review: It's readable, makes sense, and offers valuable insights. It, and Susan Scott's <Fierce Conversations> are, in my opinion, the two best books available in this venue.
Rating:
Summary: I Am Disappointed
Review: The reviews here led me to believe the book could be a valuable asset to me in my career and overall life. Unfortunately the authors have such a loose grasp of their own message they cannot convey it in any manner except contrived scenarios that are reminiscent of a high school sociology class. I am not saying this to insult the authors or those who find the book useful. I simply expected a higher level of information presented, well, differently. I will keep looking, in the meantime my copy will return to Amazon.com for sale.
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