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CRUCIAL SKILLS RESEARCH

What is going on in your world?

VitalSmarts products and services are built on more than thirty years of research. To continue our rich legacy of research-based solutions, we regularly conduct studies that explore current trends affecting communication and human behavior at work and at home. See what we have discovered.

INDUSTRY FOCUSED RESEARCH
The Silent Treatment: Why Safety Tools and Checklists Aren't Enough to Save Lives Eighty-five percent of nurses have been in a situation where a safety tool warned them of a problem. Fifty-eight percent have also been in situations where they felt unsafe to speak up about the problems or get others to listen. Read More
Silent Danger—The Five Crucial Conversations that Drive Workplace Safety Ninety-three percent of employees say their organization is at risk of an accident waiting to happen because people are either unwilling or unable to speak up. Read More
Financial Agility—The Four Crucial Conversations for Uncertain Economic Times Leaders who effectively handle crucial moments in a financial crisis are ten times more likely to position their company for future success. Read More
How to 10x Your Influence—Exponentially Increase Your Success Leaders who use multiple sources of influence are ten times more likely to produce substantial and sustainable change. Read More
Silence Fails—The Five Crucial Conversations for Flawless Execution Eighty-five percent of major corporate initiatives come in behind schedule and over budget when leaders fail to effectively address five common business issues. Read More
Silence Kills—The Seven Crucial Conversations for Healthcare Fewer than ten percent of doctors and nurses speak up when they see colleagues make mistakes. Read More

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Talking to Troubled Teens One out of three parents are either unable or barely able to have a crucial conversation with their teenager. Research Summary Survey Results
Best Friends Might Sabotage New Year’s Resolutions Seventy percent have a bad habit they’ve wanted to change for at least one year, and 22 percent have tried to change their bad habit for 10 years. Research Summary Survey Results
Influencing the Flu Only 14 percent of adults and 2 percent of children wash their hands after coughing or sneezing. Research Summary Survey Results
When Bad Relatives Happen to Good People Four out of 5 people have attended a miserable family gathering, and more than half expect upcoming family gatherings to be spoiled by an unruly relative. Research Summary Survey Results Image (.zip file)
Weapons of Mass Discussion: Crucial Conversations about Politics Seventy-seven percent avoid discussing politics because political discussions with family can be nasty, difficult, and downright unpleasant. Research Summary Survey Results
Why You Can't Kill a Bad Habit with a Magic Bullet Those who use four or more influence strategies to change bad habits are four times more likely to succeed. Research Summary Survey Results Image (.zip file)
Why America Lacks Digital Manners Ninety-one percent regularly encounter public displays of insensitivity caused by smart phones and other gadgets. Research Summary Survey Results Image (.zip file)
Crucial Conversations about Drugs with Teens Fifty-seven percent of parents admit to having some degree of difficulty in getting their teens involved in meaningful conversations. Research Summary Survey Results Image (.zip file)
Unwrapping the Secret to Talking About Holiday Finances Sixty percent either overspend or have a spouse or partner who overspends during the holidays. Seventy-eight percent say it’s difficult to discuss holiday spending with their partner. Research Summary Survey Results Image (.zip file)
Weighty Crucial Conversations with Your Child Sixty-six percent of parents are unwilling to speak up and talk openly about their child’s weight. Research Summary Survey Results Image (.zip file)
Taxing Crucial Conversations Fifty-eight percent have found themselves in a compromising conversation in which family, friends, or coworkers described using illegal tax strategies. Research Summary Survey Results Image (.zip file)
Talking Hi-tech More than 87 percent admit that using hi-tech means to resolve a workplace confrontation is not effective. Research Summary Survey Results
Healthy Communication with Your Parents More than 30 percent of adults say their relationship with their mother or father is less than satisfactory. Research Summary Survey Results
Confronting Your Doctor Less than 50 percent of patients speak up when their caregiver is unclear about their diagnosis, treatment options, or next steps. Research Summary Survey Results
How to Talk Politics with Friends Sixty-seven percent say their political discussions with friends, coworkers, and family lead to attacks or controlling behavior. Research Summary Survey Results

WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIPS
Overcoming Career-Limiting Habits Ninety-seven percent of employees have a Career-Limiting Habit that keeps them from achieving their potential at work. Research Summary Survey Results
The Cost of Conflict Avoidance Employees waste an average of $1,500 and an eight-hour workday for every crucial conversation they avoid. Research Summary Survey Results
Employees Fear Crucial Conversations Seventy percent of employees are currently facing a difficult conversation with a boss, coworker, or direct report. Research Summary Survey Results Image (.zip file)
Long-distance Loathing Relationship problems occur far more frequently within “virtual teams” than they do within teams located in the same building. Research Summary Survey Results Image (.zip file)
Four Crucial Conversations for Uncertain Times The way leaders and employees behave in four crucial moments is a predictor of an organization’s ability to respond effectively and quickly to financial threats. Research Summary Survey Results
Leaders Lack Influence One of the main drivers of organizational influence challenges is that leaders have little if any influence over the way their employees behave. Research Summary Survey Results Image (.zip file)
Discussing High-Stakes Business Initiatives Eighty-two percent of employees say there are significant organization-wide initiatives underway in their workplace that will likely fail. Research Summary Survey Results Image (.zip file)
Lacking New Year’s Resolve at Work Fifty percent of employees shy away from confronting coworkers about behavior, expectations, or performance because they are afraid of a negative outcome. Research Summary Survey Results Image (.zip file)
Corporate Untouchables Ninety-three percent work with people whose bad behavior or poor performance should get them fired, yet they get away with just about anything and are accountable for almost nothing. Research Summary Survey Results Image (.zip file)
Do You Work with a “Scrooge”? Approximately three-fourths of employees are stressed out during the holiday season by coworkers who dump on, abandon, or fail them. Research Summary Image (.zip file)
Work for a Jerk? More than 50 percent of employees say a disagreeable boss is their number-one reason for finding a new job. Research Summary Survey Results

OTHER TOPICS
Presidential Candidates Lack Influence Forty-five percent of Americans don’t believe presidential candidates have the power to change the issues that matter most to them. Research Summary Survey Results Image (.zip file)