Difficult Conversations

How often do you find yourself unwilling to face a conversation with a family member, a friend, a colleague, your boss? I believe we all have had to face up to the “Difficult Conversation” at some point in our lives. There was an instant connection to the topic addressed by the book Difficult Conversations, How to Address What Matters Most, Stone, Douglas & Patton, Bruce & Heen, Shelia (1999), New York, NY, Penguin Books. The book approaches the subject from a personal perspective, but it is clearly relevant to our study of organizations as systems and structures. Organizations are comprised of individuals interacting to provide a product or service to others and the purpose of the organization cannot be accomplished without interaction and conversation on a regular basis. Some of those conversations are bound to present challenges.

We chose to focus on three primary areas presented in the book that match back to topics we studied during the class. In the following sections we will go into more depth in the areas of “Perception, the process of receiving information about and making sense of the world around us” ; “Communication, the process by which information is transmitted and understood between two or more people” ; and Negotiation, which involves “the promise of benefits or resources in exchange for the target person’s compliance with your request” . The book is helpful in many other areas presented by this assignment and presents a compelling case for the importance of developing skills in managing difficult conversations to achieve balance and happiness in both your personal and professional life. Our goal is to present a limited focus that will encourage you to delve deeper into this interesting topic and perhaps enjoy a good read with a fulfilling purpose.

Perceptions

Perceptions play out extensively in the Difficult Conversations book. Perceptions in communication are a daily occurrence in our lives and our perception of reality may be...