Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsRecommended to almost anyone!
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on November 22, 2020
This is an incredibly helpful book. It deals particularly with how to handle emotionally charged conversations, where one or both of you is upset or angry or doesn't want to speak up. As I was reading this, I could only think of one person in my life that I know who actually does all of these things in conversation, and maybe one other person who's decent...meaning I really think the majority of people would benefit from reading this book, even if you don't think you're especially bad at dialogue. I bought this book because I was struggling to phrase things well when I was offering criticism -- it came off too attackingly -- and this has given me so much to think about and so much helpful advice. I think this would be especially helpful to parents and couples. Most of the examples are aimed at people in their 30s-50s, but it really seems like the sooner the better for reading it. The main message of the book was of how to be both honest and respectful -- to not avoid conversations you need to have until they're super big, to be respectful and listen but also to say what needs to be said in a way that the other person can hear without becoming defensive, and these are lessons that will help you with any relationship, including roommates, acquaintances, siblings, etc.
There are also links in this book to videos of example conversations -- I'm on to check those out next, as my response to finishing the book was sadness that there wasn't more! I think my dialogue skills have already improved in only a couple weeks of reading the book, and I will reread this going forward to help me as struggles arise.
Highly recommended.
