Books Applied Podcast - Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen - Featuring Special Guest Marsha Shandur

Getting to Yes, written by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton, introduces the concept of principled negotiation. This approach separates the people from the problem, focuses on interests rather than positions, invents options for mutual gain, and insists on using objective criteria. The book provides strategies to manage emotions, avoid common negotiation traps, and deal with 'dirty tricks' used by other parties. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the other side's perceptions, managing misperceptions, and creating a collaborative environment to reach agreements that satisfy both parties.

This book provides a step-by-step approach to having tough conversations with less stress and more success. It covers how to decipher the underlying structure of difficult conversations, raise tough issues without triggering defensiveness, manage strong emotions, and keep balance regardless of the other person's response. The book is filled with examples from everyday life and addresses issues such as race, culture, gender, power, and communication via technology. It is designed to help readers improve oral communication in personal, professional, and public life.

The novel chronicles seven generations of the Jashi family from early 20th-century Georgia through revolutions, wars, Soviet repressions, and into the present, framed as Niza Jashi's letter to her niece Brilka. It weaves personal dramas of love, betrayal, and loss with Georgia's turbulent history under Russian and Soviet rule, haunted by a family chocolate recipe believed to bring a curse. Themes of resilience, family bonds, and collective trauma unfold across the lives of strong women like Stasia and Christine, highlighting art, dance, and survival amid political upheaval.