In this installment, we’ll bring a book back into The Boardroom and talk about ideas from Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Joseph Grenny, et.al (c2021 third edition) When first published in 2002, Crucial Conversations quickly became a New York Times best seller, leading to three revisions and a companion title Crucial Accountability. Given the spate of book challenges in school and public libraries last year and this, trustees need to be ready with a cogent defense of intellectual freedom. Book challenges are always crucial conversations for library boards, as are budget talks, absenteeism, all while maintaining healthy relationships with city partners and with each other. From Amazon: “Crucial Conversations teaches readers how to be persuasive rather than abrasive, how to get back to productive dialogue when others blow up or clam up … offering powerful skills for mastering high-stakes conversations, regardless of the topic or person.”

IA Learns Registration