Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most

Super Short Summary

Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Sheila Heen, and Bruce Patton, members of the Harvard Negotiation Project, provides a guide to managing conflict through effective dialogue. The book delineates three key conversations—what happened, feelings, and identity—and explains how to adopt a learning stance, manage perspectives, and differentiate between intent and impact, and contribution and blame. It emphasizes listening, clarity, active leadership, and neutral perspectives to resolve conflicts. The concluding section addresses frequently asked questions to contextualize the core advice.