About
No matter how accomplished or confident we may be with our communication skills, at some point everyone finds themselves in a situation where they need to have a conversation they would rather avoid. But having these conversations need not be as difficult as we imagine them to be. But, as Douglas Stone said in his book Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most, “The point is this: difficult conversations are almost never about getting the facts right. They are about conflicting perceptions, interpretations, and values.” So then, the key to having difficult conversations is to try to understand the other person’s perspective. In this course you will learn how to: • Define what difficult conversations are for you. • Identify your preferred communication style and determine how your preferred style may conflict with other communication styles. • Adjust your communication style to best suit others, thereby making yourself easier to understand. • Look at the value of true listening. • Create strategies and plan for the difficult conversations as they arise.