WHY DO CRUCIAL CONVERSATIONS FAIL?
"A vexing problem reported by 85% of project participants is something we call 'fact-free planning.' Interestingly, success or failure is not determined by whether project teams are pressured to make unrealistic commitments, but whether those teams are able to confront, discuss, and manage the phenomenon effectively.
The problem is that fewer than one in seven people who are afflicted by fact-free planning are able to succeed at this very crucial conversation. The result is agonizingly predictable. When the crucial conversation fails, there is an 82% chance that the project will come in far over budget, terribly past schedule, or woefully short on quality."
— Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield and Andrew Shimberg, MIT Sloan Management Review
COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS: Advanced II
Navigate dialogues, deals, and meetings
When leaders have to address a sensitive issue or confront a “difficult” personality, the exchange is often emotionally-charged and stressful. Avoiding high-stakes conversations, or proceeding without a strategy, ultimately impacts an executive’s performance and your organization’s credibility.
Whether giving negative performance feedback, facilitating chaotic meetings, confronting an antagonist, or negotiating a difficult deal, successful dialogues are critical for building trust, solving problems, and strengthening bonds with people who matter.
Develop courageous conversations in three core areas:
DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS: Influence people who matter
- Allay fears and quickly establish lasting rapport
- Use a proven methodology to balance curiosity, empathy, and guidance
- Influence under pressure — even when you have no authority
NEGOTIATION: Move beyond zero sum
- Create a flexible plan that can accommodate multiple outcomes
- Identify mutual interests, resources, and capabilities
- Protect your position by identifying the other side’s tools of persuasion
GENIUS MEETINGS: Save time, plan, and facilitate
- Quickly clarify objectives and identify obstacles to focus on top priorities
- Improve conversation efficiency through better inquiry and focused listening
- Reduce meeting times, involve everyone equitably, and drive targeted results
APPROACH
FOR DEVELOPING...
• A leader whose top talent has gone rogue
• A team constantly looking at their phones in meetings
• A sales leader trying to influence business partners
• Anyone who has to have a critical or emotionally-charged conversation
METHOD
• Designed to meet your unique cultural challenges and goals
• Highly interactive and experiential, delivered in-person or virtually
• Frequent small-group breakouts for practice and feedback
• Powerful tools to manage mindset in relevant scenarios
LEARN MORE
