Question
Refer to the Crucial Conversations textbook. What is the most important lesson you have learned during this
course about crucial conversations and communications? How will you handle your conversations differently?
Was the book of value to you?
What are four important things you have learned about the field of project management? Will you use this information in your current line of work and how?
Sample paper
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Question 1
According to Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2012), a crucial conversation is a debate between two or more individuals where the parties are high, their outlook of issues vary and the emotions of the people run strong leading to a pronounced impact in their lives. The parties in the crucial conversation have different feelings, experiences, theories, and opinions. These feelings can only be neutralized if there is efficient use of dialogue. Dialogue is the most significant lesson that I have learnt from crucial conversation and communication. It is the best way to arrive to a conclusion between warring parties. It involves the core flow of information which is the free flow of facts and meaning between two or more individuals.
Since I read the book, I have changed my approach on handling conversations. I always take time to ask myself the following questions: what do I want to achieve from the conversation? What are my motives? What do I want for others? What do I want from the relationship? And how I am behaving towards getting my final results? Moving forward, I will handle conversations differently by ensuring that I have accurate and germane information. I will also ensure that I have a mutual purpose and respect so as to guarantee safety in the conversation. When am convinced that am right about something, I will seek to share facts, narrate my story, ask others to contribute and share their own path, talk cautiously, and hearten testing so as to make the other party to express diverse or contradictory views. When I have an opposing view or a divergent view touching on unspeakable, I will talk with confidence, humility and skill. It will in turn strengthen my career, relations, and improve my health.
The book was of value as it equipped me with skills that are necessary in handling critical conversations. It emphasizes on cultivating ourselves and also heartening others to do the same. It also assisted me in knowing the right channel towards providing a safe environment for a conversation to thrive. The study has empowered me to overcome silence and violence while in a critical conversation. It is necessary to stay in the conversation even when you are angry, hurt or scared. It has instilled in me the best approach in a conversation by speaking persuasively, exploring other people’s path, turning to actions and results, and finally meshing everything together. It has also assisted me in sharing my path through sharing my story.
Question two
The four imperative lessons that I have been well-educated concerning project management include: communication, budgets and timelines, decision-making skills, and change management. I will use the skills I leant in project management in my current line of work. For example, for a project to succeed there must be consistent and flawless communication. There should be no alteration or deficiency of dialogue between stakeholders like clients, member, and the society. Communication will assist me to define precarious project milestone. Another key lesson is on change management. There will be changes as the implementation of the project is done. The stakeholder’s may not support some of the changes. Conversely, the changes should not derail me from achieving the purpose of the project. The study has equipped me with the requisite skills to turn the changes into an opportunity and make my project a success. The money that I will save in a project increases its return on investment and the vestige can be used for other projects (Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. 2012).
Timeline and budgets must be monitored to ensure the success of any project. It is necessary to understand that there are unlimited resources that need to be used so as to successfully complete a project. I will use budgets to make decisions about the best way to allocate resources so as to achieve the objectives of the project. Decision making is also a vital area in project management. It aids in planning, coordinating, staffing, organizing, and communication. It is also useful when facing challenges. In decision making, I will use the four critical methods that I learnt in the Critical Conversations book. I will command, consult, vote or do a consensus. I will strive to make good decision as they provide an opportunity to grow while bad decision leads to flux of the company. At work, I will use the decision making skills to arrive at a solution. I will use consensus when there are high stakes and complex issues involved. Similarly, I will prefer a consensus when everybody must support the final choice so as to achieve a common agenda. I will prefer a voting when selecting from numerous choices of good options. It is also effective when the losers of the voting process have agreed to support the results of the outcome. I will consult when the decision has a great influence to many people while the use of command will aid me in low-stake issues.
References
Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2012). Crucial conversations. New York: McGraw-Hill.
