Knowing people is different than knowing about people. When we know people, we connect. Connection is essential in everything we do, whether we’re trying to influence change, hold people accountable, or create new visions. As an HR specialist, connection is especially critical in addressing difficult issues.

Emotions can corrupt our view of others — even the people we love. With the right practice, though, we can change our emotions and transform our relationships.

Most people don’t look forward to crucial conversations. And they definitely don’t get excited about them. When we know it’s time to have a crucial

The truth is, putting your foot in your mouth — whether consciously or accidentally — is easy to do, and as a result we get to observe the ugly aftermath of catastrophic conversations all around us. But can just any slip of the tongue be fatal to your career, or are there some comments that are far more damaging than others?

One of our main goals in Human Resources is to help our companies, employees, and ourselves build a better and brighter future. After 40 years of training and consulting, Ron McMillan shares the three big lessons every HR specialist should take to heart to make your impact on the future even more meaningful.

“It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it!” Sometimes, our words fail to communicate our true intentions, and when people detect negative intentions (rightly or wrongly), they don’t feel safe. To have healthy dialogue, we need to create safety. Here are 4 skills that make safety a reality:

The way you open a crucial conversation makes a huge difference on the outcome. And if you want better results, you need to do these three things in the first 30 seconds.

Ever experienced discrimination at work? You’re not alone. When we asked people to tell us of a time they felt excluded or disadvantaged because of their race, age, gender, national origin, or sexual orientation at work, we got over 500 stories. Here are a few skills for confronting bias in a way that restores civility to the workplace.

How we start a crucial conversation matters. It determines if we’ll get great results or create a whole new set of problems. Specifically, the opening 30 seconds are extremely critical. Before we do anything else, we need to be clear on our goal — which isn’t to convince or compel. The real goal is to get better results. Here’s how:

Mutuality isn’t all about the other person. It’s about you, too. For people who know the literal definition of mutual, this may not seem like great insight. But for me, it makes a big difference.

Usually when we think about finding mutual respect and mutual purpose for creating a healthy conversation, we focus solely on the other person and their goals, but this is too one-sided. The most important part of mutuality is missing. We need to care about ourselves and our own goals as well if we want a healthy relationship.

From Emily Hoffman: After 10 years at VitalSmarts, I discovered a secret: Crucial Conversations skills don’t always work. At least, they don’t always work the way we think they should. But they still work. These skills bring you to a solution, even if it’s not the solution you were originally hoping for. After struggling through marriage and divorce, I’ve learned just how powerful and positive these skills can be.

Sharing feedback is tough. But, the ability to share and receive all of it — especially the last 10 percent — transforms us into our most authentic selves.

There’s a difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is a function of physiology. Listening is a function of the heart. If I don’t feel safe with you, I won’t listen to what you have to say.

The fact is, if we want people to listen to us, we have to make them feel safe.

For our organisations to perform at their best, we need to learn from the best. World-class Olympians use the skill of giving and receiving feedback to master their craft. We need to do the same for top organisational performance.

When in a stressful situation, like a crucial conversation, our body responds by releasing adrenaline. This shuts off the logical part of our brain and activates our more primitive nature. This is really helpful when dealing with a vicious predator, but when handling a delicate issue with our boss or spouse, the results are almost never positive. Learn how to overcome our nature in tough conversations with these skills: