In personal and workplace communications, what we say and how we say it makes all the difference between a successful or a disastrous interaction. In this slim volume, Soehner (librarian, University of Utah) and Darling (assistant vice president, undergraduate studies, University of Utah) pay particular attention to the difficult conversations we all encounter in the course of our work lives. Whether it's asking the boss to explain a low merit rating, telling an employee to take personal phone calls outside the office area, or following up with a colleague about missed deadlines and meetings, these conversations are never fun or easy. However, with adequate preparation and delivery, they can be effective, with both parties feeling heard and a desirable outcome achieved. Each of the 10 chapters provides practical and relevant advice for employees and employers who may find themselves engaged in a difficult work-related conversation. VERDICT With numerous examples, options, and activities that focus specifically on libraries and higher education, this book is recommended for any academic librarian or administrator in a supervisory role.-Linda Frederiksen, Washington State University Library, Vancouver © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In personal and workplace communications, what we say and how we say it makes all the difference between a successful or a disastrous interaction. In this slim volume, Soehner (librarian, Univ. of Utah) and Darling (assistant vice president undergraduate studies, Univ. of Utah) pay particular attention to the difficult conversations we all encounter in the course of our work lives. Whether it's asking the boss to explain a low merit rating, telling an employee to take personal phone calls outside the office area, or following up with a colleague about missed deadlines and meetings, these conversations are never fun or easy. However, with adequate preparation and delivery, they can be effective, with both parties feeling heard and a desirable outcome achieved. Each of the ten chapters provides practical and relevant advice for employees and employers who may find themselves engaged in a difficult work-related conversation. VERDICT With numerous examples, options, and activities that focus specifically on libraries and higher education, this book is recommended for any academic librarian or administrator in a supervisory role.-Linda Frederiksen, Washington State Univ. Lib., Vancouver © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Authors Soehner and Darling draw from their own real-life experiences and failures in this latest addition to the management literature for library professionals. The two have successfully presented on the dreaded difficult conversation as part of the University of Utah Leadership Development Program since 2013, and their collaboration has resulted in this readable step-by-step guide to a particularly touchy topic. The 10 chapters begin with the definition of a difficult conversation, acknowledging that difficulty is relative to the person, be they conflict-avoidant or overly direct, followed by precisely delivered explanations of the steps of a successful conversation: self-reflection, research and fact gathering, clarification of the message, scripting the conversation, accountability tools and documentation, confirmation, and meaningful follow-up meetings with the attendant documentation. Later chapters focus on unique situations: managing difficult discussions with coworkers, conversing within the broader context of change management and managing up, and initiating the difficult talk with one's boss. Inexperienced supervisors will find the sample scripts for conversations and detailed exercises particularly useful.--Szwarek, Magan Copyright 2017 Booklist