Chapter 2: Mastering Crucial Conversations Flashcards
Complete this quote by Martin Luther King. ‘Our life begins to end the day…’
We become silent about things that matter
Who is an Opinion Leader?
People that usually find ways to both tell the truth and keep relationships
What sets an influential person apart from the pack in an organization?
The ability to avoid the fool’s choice
What’s the fool’s choice?
Choosing between telling the truth and keeping a friend
What’s the usual choice people think they have in a crucial conversation involving a high-level official?
Option 1: Speak up and turn the most powerful person into their sworn enemy. Option 2: Suffer in silence and make a bad decision that might ruin the company
What mistake do most of us make in crucial conversations?
We believe we have to choose between telling the truth and keeping a friend
How do you describe people who refuse to make the fool’s choice?
The most influential people in their organizations who hold crucial conversations properly
What’s the goal for people that avoid the fool’s choice?
How can I be 100% honest and at the same time be 100% respectful?
What’s at the core of every successful conversation?
Dialogue (free flow of information)
What’s the thing that effective communicators know how to do properly?
Effectively create a dialogue
What makes up our personal pool of meaning?
Our thoughts and feelings about the topic at hand
What happens to the pool of meaning when we enter crucial conversations?
We share the same pool
What do people skilled at dialogue do?
They make it safe for everyone to add meaning to the shared pool
What are the two results of a large pool of shared meaning?
Smarter and better choices, greater synergy
When is a pool of shared meaning described as shallow?
When people purposely withhold meaning from one another
What happens when the pool of meaning is very shallow?
Individually smart people can do collectively stupid things
How does a large pool of meaning lead to smarter group choices?
More accurate and relevant information leads to better choices
How does a large pool of meaning lead to synergy among people?
Open discussion helps form a complete picture and commitment to action
What happens when there’s no synergy among people in a conversation?
People aren’t committed, criticize, resist, and follow through halfway
What do we need to achieve in crucial conversations?
Share our personal pools and make it safe for others to do the same
What’s the goal of this book?
Explore the tools used to create conditions for dialogue
