Remember the acronym GAS to prepare for important conversations: identify your Goal, incorporate areas of Agreement, and know when to Stop. If the conversation matters, prep on the GAS.
Fire, Ready, Aim
Far too many people have a terrible habit of winging it through some of the most important conversations of their lives. Don’t do that. If the conversation matters, make preparation a habit.
Quitting Time
Getting what you want in a conversation is tricky business because resistance is endemic to strategic communication. It is essential to know when to pull back from a conversation that is floundering in order to conserve your goodwill, prevent relational damage, and allow your goal to survive for another day.
Clown Dreams
What you want to accomplish is far more important than what you want to say. Smart communicators consistently subordinate their words to their goals in important conversations, even though stifling impulsive urges is often quite challenging. Words serve goals—not the other way around. Stop letting impulsive words obliterate your goals.
Who Is It? (Part Two)
Although there are countless factors that can impact any particular situation, three factors with the greatest impact on conversational goal attainment are: what motivates, what frustrates, and what is the most opportune time for the conversation. Pay attention to these three factors to increase your odds of conversational success.