Crucial Conversations for Effective Communication Skills & Conflict Resolution Training

A Crucial Conversation is a discussion between two or more people where the stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong. When conversations turn crucial, people tend to follow one of two ineffective paths: they either speak directly and abrasively to get the results they want but harm relationships, or they remain silent with the hope of preserving relationships only to sacrifice results.

In the workplace, conversations often have lasting consequences. When a conversation has high stakes, is about a sensitive topic, or can elicit strong emotions, it’s essential to be prepared. Crucial Conversations is the standard for effective communication in life and in the workplace. In order to succeed in holding these tough conversations confidently and successfully, one must undergo communication training to gain effective communication skills that have been science-backed and globally proven. 

Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue is a workplace communication course, that equips individuals at all levels in their professional and personal life to dialogue candidly and respectfully while maintaining relationships and results.

Crucial Conversations® for Mastering Dialogue is a workplace communication course that gives people the skills to step into disagreement—rather than over or around it—and turn disagreement into dialogue for improved relationships and results.

This communication training is based on the New York Times best-selling, Crucial Conversations book written by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Al Switzler and Ron McMillan.

Crucial Conversations training is suitable for individuals or organisations who want to develop their employees to deal with tough issues confidently through a workplace communication course or communication training.

Crucial Conversations® for Mastering Dialogue teaches effective communication skills grounded in decades of social science research. Whether experienced virtually, or in-person, the Crucial Conversations course helps learners develop these vital skills through instruction, application, practice, group discussion, and self-reflection—not just theory—for lasting improvement.

The Nine Crucial Skills taught in the Crucial Conversations training:

• Get Unstuck: Identify problems contributing to poor results and broken relationships.
• Master My Stories: Keep composure when feeling angry, defensive, or intimidated. Identify victim, villain, and helpless stories you might be telling yourself to justify behaviour.
• Start With Heart: Consider others’ perspectives and assume they have good reasons before speaking up.
• State My Path: Speak honestly and respectfully.
• Make It Safe: Recognise when you’re at cross-purpose and take steps to rebuild safety and return to dialogue. Find and cultivate mutual purpose with those who hold opposing viewpoints.
• Learn To Look: Spot the warning signs that indicate safety and dialogue are at risk.
• Seek Mutual Purpose: Seek a purpose that both parties are committed to. Find common ground.
• Explore Others’ Paths: Bring people back into dialogue when they clam up or blow up.
• Move To Action: Turn each Crucial Conversation into a course of action that leads to results.

Crucial Conversations training is available in person and virtually.

In-Person Crucial Conversations course: 2 days

Virtual Crucial Conversations Course: Flexible and can be over 2 – 5 days

For the Add-on course, the completion time is:

In-Person Course: 1 day

Virtual Course: 1 day

Every Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue graduate will get access to a six-week post-training email program that will remind them of important lessons they learned in the course, prompt them to practice their  effective communication skills, and offer job aids, videos, and articles to help them apply and master their newly learned skills.

Crucial Conversations training teaches people how to make room for different opinions and perspectives, find mutual respect and common purpose, effectively handle conflict resolution  and dialogue openly. When people undergo this workplace communication course, they not only work together more effectively, they also foster psychological safety and inclusion.

While Crucial Conversations training is not explicitly a course on DE&I, it does contribute to inclusive and equitable workplaces. The central tenet of the course teaches that there is a pool of shared meaning, and the aim of dialogue is to invite and allow everyone to contribute to it. In other words, everybody gets a seat at the table, regardless of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, political viewpoint, ability, or experience. That’s the goal. The skills highlight how.

Crucial Conversations course is now more inclusive, flexible, and accessible than ever before. The course includes new videos and materials that speak to the current learner challenges. Changes include:

• One instructor-led course: We have created one instructor-led course for Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue that can be delivered either in-person or virtually, both formats will cover the exact same content. Regardless of delivery format, the course has the same learner guide and trainer guide which will be delivered as either a physical or digital guide. Presentation slides will differ slightly for exercise instructions.
• Completely Updated Videos and Practice Scenarios: We have updated all our videos and practice scenarios. You’ll see more diversity in our actors and thought leaders; new races and ethnicities not previously represented; more modern spaces and backgrounds; and updated and relevant scenarios including bias, diversity, multi-generational workplaces, virtual teams, and holding virtual Crucial Conversations.
• Content Changes: We’ve updated the concept of Silence and Violence to Silence and Verbal Violence. We’ve also added two new skills: Share Your Good Intent and Respond with ABC’s.

The new Crucial Conversations training includes a completely new learner guide, with new insights and how-to tips throughout. Changes to the learner materials include:

• Learner guide: The same learner guide for both virtual and in-person formats. Regardless of which format they choose, learners will receive the same learner guide.
  
  
• Free Crucial Conversations book: The learner guide is available either in print or digital formats. Learners will also receive a copy of the Crucial Conversations book in either print or digital formats. You can choose to use either the digital guides or printed guides for the in-person class.
  
  
• The learner guides incorporate the model and cue cards (they are not separate as in the past). In the printed guide, model and cue cards are found at the back of the guide on heavy perforated paper for easy tear out.
  
  
• The conversation planner is now included with every learner guide.
  
  
• A course completion certificate.
  
  
• Six-week ongoing learning experience.

In summary, the new Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue includes the following updates:

• 39 updated skill videos (the legacy course had 47 videos).
• More focus on “sounds like” examples throughout.
• Changes to lessons including re-ordered lessons, splitting Master My Stories into two lessons, and renaming Make It Safe II to Seek Mutual Purpose.

(Legacy course) Crucial Conversations Course

1. Get Unstuck
2. Start with Heart
3. Master My Stories
4. STATE My Path
5. Learn to Look
6. Make It Safe I
7. Make It Safe II
8. Explore Others’ Paths
9. Move to action

(New Course) Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue Course 

1. Get Unstuck
2. Master My Stories I
3. Master My Stories II
4. Start with Heart
5. State My Path
6. Make It Safe
7. Learn to Look
8. Seek Mutual Purpose
9. Explore Others’ Paths
10. Move to action

Clients who experienced a previous version of Crucial Conversations course or Crucial Accountability have learned the same skills and social science principles taught in the new courses. While the videos, some exercises, and course structure have been updated, the foundational Crucial Conversations and Accountability skills remain the same.

However, the new courses are an even better way to turn effective communication skills into action—with more examples, scripts and tools. We’ve have added a few new tips to help with skill mastery. For example, in Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue we teach learners what to do and how to respond when someone approaches them with a tough message. In Crucial Conversations for Accountability, we touch on ways to help people move from good performance to great.