From the Harvard Negotiation Project—which brought you the mega-bestseller GETTING TO YES—this practical guide will help you handle your most difficult conversations with confidence and skill.

Every October the Estes Valley Library celebrates Conflict Resolution Month in collaboration with Estes Valley Restorative Justice Partnership (EVRJP). We invite you to join us for a book discussion of this year's Conflict Resolution Month title, Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most, by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen. Share your thoughts on the book and hear insights from your fellow community members. The conversation will be facilitated by EVRJP Manager Jay Shields.

The first 10 people to register for the discussion will receive a free copy of the book to keep. By claiming a book, you are committing to joining us for the discussion. For those who don't get (or don't want) a book to keep, we'll have copies available for checkout at the first floor service desk starting in late September / early October.

About the book

Whether dealing with an underperforming employee or a challenging colleague, disagreeing with your spouse about money or child-rearing, negotiating with a client, or simply saying “No,” “I’m sorry,” or “I love you,” we attempt or avoid difficult conversations every day. No matter how competent we are, we all have conversations that cause anxiety and frustration.

This book can help. Based on almost thirty years of research, Difficult Conversations walks you through a step-by-step approach for how to have your toughest conversations with less stress and more success. You’ll learn how to:

• Decipher the underlying structure and challenge of every difficult conversation
• Raise tough issues without triggering defensiveness
• Manage strong emotions—yours and theirs
• Keep your balance no matter how the other person responds
• Get to the heart of the matter in ways that promote learning and build relationships

Filled with examples from everyday life, this third edition is thoroughly updated and addresses issues such as race, culture, gender, power, social media, and communicating via technology as we talk to one another across the world—and across worldviews. With constructive communication an ever more critical need in personal, professional, and public life, Difficult Conversations is a classic you will turn to again and again for powerful, practical advice.