Moments of Impact: How to Design Strategic Conversations That Accelerate Change by Chris Ertel, Lisa Kay Solomon

Moments of Impact is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to bring about positive change through strategic conversations. Written by Chris Ertel, the book offers a framework for designing conversations that create lasting impact. Ertel provides practical methods for evaluating an organization’s current conversational dynamics and working towards creating conversations that are in alignment with values and goals.

The book begins by examining how conversations shape an organization’s culture and decisions. Ertel highlights the importance of conversation for problem solving and creating opportunities for growth, and then delves into the practical aspects of strategic conversations. He explains how to identify who is involved in a conversation and how to use the right language and communication techniques to create a productive dialogue.

Throughout the book, Ertel offers concrete advice and tips on how to build productive conversations. For example, he proposes that facilitators should create an environment of safety and openness, listen actively, and ask questions that help generate insights. He argues that it is essential to understand the underlying issues driving the conversation and to think holistically about potential solutions.

Ertel then introduces the notion of “moments of impact” – the peak moments in conversations when real transformation takes place. He emphasizes the importance of these moments and offers measures to gauge their success, such as how well goals were accomplished, how participants were impacted, and how much momentum was generated. He also provides methods for creating memories of these moments, such as stories and artifacts, in order to make them more meaningful.

The book concludes by introducing tools and techniques for creating successful conversations such as pre-meeting prep checklists, mapping approaches and conversations agendas. Ertel makes a strong case for investing in training and development programs to ensure the effectiveness of conversations. He explains how to use feedback loops to measure the success of conversations and identify areas for improvement.

Overall, Moments of Impact is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in designing and facilitating strategic conversations. Ertel offers concrete strategies for creating an environment of trust and openness, analyzing conversational dynamics, understanding the underlying issues, and creating moments of impact. With the help of his step-by-step advice and powerful tools, readers can become adept at designing conversations that generate real change.