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Difficult Conversations
Get up to speed fast on essential business skills. Whether you’re looking for a crash course or a brief refresher, you’ll find just what you need in HBR’s 20-Minute Manager series—foundational reading for ambitious professionals and aspiring executives. Each book is a concise, practical primer, so you’ll have time to brush up on a variety of key management topics.
Advice you can quickly read and apply, from the most trusted source in business.
Titles include:
Difficult Conversations
Craft a clear message
Manage emotions
Focus on a solution
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW PRESS
Boston, Massachusetts
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Copyright 2016 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
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Cataloging-in-Publication data is forthcoming
ISBN: 978-1-63369-078-3
eISBN: 978-1-63369-079-0
Preview
You’ve been putting off a difficult conversation. Maybe you feel wronged by someone or misunderstood. You may be caught in a clash of personalities or have competing goals with a colleague. Perhaps you have to deliver bad news, and you dread the person’s reaction. Whatever your situation, you need to address an issue to keep moving forward. This book will help you develop the skills you need to turn a difficult conversation into a productive dialogue, including:
• Understanding what makes some conversations difficult
• Discovering what’s at the heart of the challenge you’re facing
• Identifying and managing the emotions involved
• Seeing the bigger picture to expand possible solutions
• Framing the issue in a way your counterpart can relate to
• Listening actively and responding with empathy
• Staying flexible and managing the unexpected
• Finding areas of agreement
• Building on your new skills so you’ll be ready for the next tough conversation
Contents