Crucial Conversations: How to get the best ideas when the stakes are high

Have you ever found yourself in a contentious meeting that became stupid even though there were smart people in it? Have you ever felt “shut down” by an aggressive boss, client or team member? When the stakes are high and opinions differ, some people ramrod their ideas while others retreat to silence. But in most organizations there is a small minority, usually about ten percent, who are able to speak up and be heard when others have shut down. These people speak truth to power, and it gains them enormous respect from both their peers and their managers. For the last 30 years we’ve studied the skills these natural leaders use in high-stakes, emotional conversations. In this session Vital Smarts’ Candace Bertotti demonstrates these skills and show you how to use them to get the best out of people when the stakes are high and emotions are strong.