Can We Talk?: Seven Principles for Managing Difficult Conversations at Work

Having difficult conversations at work is a necessary discomfort. Instead of avoiding these conversations with our boss, colleagues or direct reports, you need a strategy that won't leave you feeling like you were being talked at or ignored.

The key to solving this problem starts and ends with changing the conversation. Recognizing that it takes two people to engage in meaningful conversation, Can We Talk? outlines what each contributor needs to do to achieve the best possible result. Illustrated with scenarios from everyday work situations, the author offers guidance on how to create the right conditions for a meaningful discussion as well as defining the seven key principles (confidence, clarity, compassion, curiosity, compromise, credibility and courage) that enable both parties to gain a deeper understanding of what the other person may be thinking and establish their point of view more clearly.

Can We Talk? includes vignettes, advice from those who have been there and thrived, as well as lessons learned from conversation failures. Readers will learn how to prepare, start and manage the potentially challenging exchange of words that typically occur at work and come away with an understanding that for any conversation to take place, both parties must engage. Scripts are provided to help readers get off to a running start.