{"id":9669,"date":"2020-06-29T11:23:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-29T15:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=9669"},"modified":"2020-06-28T19:36:37","modified_gmt":"2020-06-28T23:36:37","slug":"crucial-conversations-master-my-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/crucial-conversations-master-my-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Crucial Conversations: “Master My Stories” in 4 Simple Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What does Crucial Conversations<\/em>‘ “master my stories” mean? How can you use the “master my stories” concept to be a better communicator<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the Crucial Conversations<\/em> “master my stories” principle, you’ll understand how to communicate how you feel and how you see things in a difficult conversation, and how to stay aware of issues you<\/em> may be causing in the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Does Crucial Conversations “Master My Stories” Mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stories are your rationale for what\u2019s going on. They\u2019re your interpretations of the facts, helping to explain what you see and hear. They explain why, how, and what: Why did the other person act that way? How should I interpret it? What should I do? And what is the crucial conversations “master my stories” concept? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we come up with our own interpretation or stories, our body responds with strong emotions. It happens instantaneously \u2014 we tell the story and our temper flares before we know it. For example, when someone laughs at us, we take it as an insult and feel a surge of anger instantly without consciously thinking about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, we control our stories as we tell them, but once they\u2019re told, the stories control us<\/strong>. They dictate how we feel, and then how we act. As a result, our stories control the outcomes of our crucial conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the same set of facts can be used to spin infinite stories. <\/strong>We can tell different stories and break the emotions\/actions loop. Using the “master my stories” technique in crucial conversations helps you get ahold of that emotional justification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want more positive results from your crucial conversations, change the stories you tell yourself, even in the heat of the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skills for Mastering Your Stories<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In crucial conversations, master your stories is meant to help you understand and convey your perspective. To slow down your story-telling process and adrenaline rush, retrace your Path<\/a> to Action one step at a time<\/a> (going backward to the triggering event, starting with how you\u2019re behaving):<\/p>\n\n\n\n