Recognizing crucial conversations

- [Narrator] How to recognize a crucial conversation. Crucial conversations are those every day interactions that significantly affect your life. No ordinary conversations, these have three key elements. First, opinions vary. Second, the stakes are significant, and third, people's feelings are strong. Whatever the topic of the discussion, the conversation is important and can make a big difference in your life. You're probably dealing with a tough issue, and your actions can have a positive or negative result. Often people avoid such conversations or handle them poorly. The best alternative is to face the conversation and handle it with skill. 25 years of research with more than 20,000 people in hundreds of organizations showed that influential people develop an ability to handle crucial conversations. They are skilled in discussing difficult, controversial, high stakes topics. Cultivating that ability will improve your…