Last August I had the great opportunity of attending a two day Crucial Conversations workshop at Vital Smarts in the Riverwoods Office park. It was fabulous! The authors of the book, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High“>Crucial Conversations, have researched what makes organizations successful, and found that the single most important element was the ability to hold effective “crucial conversations”. We all experience crucial conversations on a regular basis–a frustrating situation at work, a touchy subject at home–you know, the difficult and usually unpleasant conversations. The authors outline the elements of how to talk about anything in a safe, effective way.

I have found the Crucial Conversations program fascinating and inspiring. It’s one of those things that I have found so helpful and enlightening that I want to share it with everyone. It’s helped me realize I can be more honest in my communications, and resolve difficult situations in a calm manner that leaves everyone happy. If you ever get the opportunity to go to the training, go! It’s well worth it. Many people are offered the opportunity through their employers and if you’re lucky, as friends or family of a Vital Smarts employee. But if you don’t have the opportunity to go, check out www.crucialconversations.com for their free newsletter, MP3 Audio Samples, and more.

I have found that even learning one little nugget of their skills can help immensely. For example, one thing they teach is to ask yourself what it is you really want. I’ve found that sometimes I get really frustrated and upset about a situation, but by stepping back and deciding what I really want, I can focus on what needs to happen to make that happen, thereby letting a lot of the frustration go. They teach it a whole lot better than I do, take a few minutes to check it out! It will help you no matter what your life situation is!

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