How to Never Regret a Conversation

What most people get wrong about difficult conversations

愚木混株 Yumu, Shanghai/Unsplash+

This article draws on research and ideas from my forthcoming book, "Forward Talk," which explores how to cultivate cultures of courageous conversations.

The meeting was almost over when Priya realized she had to say something.

Her team was about to launch a feature that she knew was confusing. She'd seen the early feedback from users. She'd watched them struggle during testing. But when the VP said, "Any final questions before we go live?" everyone stayed quiet.

Priya could hear herself saying, This isn't ready. We need time to simplify the interface. But she didn't.

Instead, she stayed silent. Everyone in the room seemed confident, supporting the launch. Maybe she was overthinking it.

Three weeks later, customer complaints flooded the support team. The CEO called an emergency meeting to determine what had gone wrong.

Sitting in that room, watching her colleagues scramble for explanations, Priya felt something heavier than embarrassment. It was the weight of reg…