The Next Conversation

Invite readers to reflect on their broad takeaways and initial reactions to the book.

1. How did your understanding of communication shift after reading The Next Conversation? Which chapter or concept most challenged your assumptions?

2. Fisher blends personal anecdotes with tactical advice throughout the book. Did you find this approach effective for engaging with the material? Why or why not?

3. The book emphasizes clarity, tone, and emotional control over “winning” an argument. How does this perspective align—or conflict—with other communication advice you’ve encountered, including in other works of personal development (for example, Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Al Switzler, and Ron McMillan)?

Help readers relate the book’s lessons to their own life experience.

1. Which chapter felt most relevant to a recent personal or professional interaction you’ve had? How might that interaction have gone differently if you had applied Fisher’s strategies?

2. How comfortable are you with setting boundaries? What thoughts or feelings come up for you when you consider incorporating Fisher’s three-step model for saying “no”?

3. In Chapter 11 on defensiveness, Fisher argues that we often “build walls” by assuming that others should intuitively understand our feelings.