Did You Know?
Get a handful of thoughtful insights referenced from different points in communications expert Sheila Heen's book — Difficult Conversations.
- Avoiding arguments, or "negative" interactions, isn't a good thing. Couples with higher ratios (fewer fights) were LESS satisfied in their relationships three years later than couples who hovered around the 5/1 ratio (of positive to negative interactions), presumably because they were avoiding important conversations or conflicts. — Why Marriages Succeed or Fail by John Gottman (Fireside 1994), p. 66.
- Engaging in difficult conversations without talking about feelings is like staging an opera without any music. You'll get the plot, but miss the point. — Excerpt from Difficult Conversations.
- Anytime a conversation feels difficult it is, in part, precisely because it's about You, with a capital Y. — Excerpt from Difficult Conversations.
- Once you understand the inherent challenges of a conversation, you are likely to find your purpose for having a particular conversation begins to shift. — Excerpt from Difficult Conversations.
- Understanding feelings. Talking about feelings. Managing feelings. These are among the greatest challenges of being human and are skills anyone can learn. — Excerpt from Difficult Conversations.
