COMMUNICATION

Before beginning my second semester at the Bush School my capstone team was required to read a chapter on crucial conversations. Crucial Conversations is the art of navigating a conversation when the stakes are high, there are differences of opinions, and emotions run high. Coined by Joseph Grenny and Ron McMillian, renowned social scientists, crucial conversations allows you to navigate through difficult conversations. This chapter was to prepare us for the difficult conversations that could arise during our group project. However this reading prepared me for other class group projects in a way I did not expect.

One key technique to having a crucial conversation is to lay out all the facts before beginning the conversation, clarifying what everyone knows and what is expected. In one experience of a class group project, tension ran high between a few group members. When I asked to have a conversation with everyone to address the issue, I was sure to start with all the facts. The argument was over the assignment’s format. Taking out the syllabus, and laying out all the facts of what was expected of us as a group we were able to resolve the issue. Both parties were respectful, and we were able to resolve the issue. I found that by starting any conversation with laying out the facts, typically will solve the problem faster. This skill of being able to have crucial conversations is something I will take with me in any work environment.