Susan Craig Scott

3.5.

I picked this up to fulfill a "something in a genre you don't usually read" option in a Storygraph reading challenge.

This book is full of solid communication tactics and exercises aimed at people who are allergic to being open and honest with their partners. It's heartening, I guess, to know that in the terms this author has laid out, my husband and I are in a good place communicatively. But it's also kind of disheartening to read an entire book that lays out what feel, to me, like show more normal communication. Honesty, openness, a willingness to listen.

I can only hope that the people that need to learn the lessons in this book are the kind of people that would pick this book up. I'm not sure I am convinced of that but you never know. show less

I found this book very meaty: as I was reading it, tonnes of conversations came up where I felt I had made an impact or, on the contrary, felt frustrated. This book helped me pinpoint what I had done well or what I had bungled. It was a perfect complement to a coaching session I recently attended and provided clear guidelines that I can follow at work, and at home.
I've started applying them and the results are phenomenal: I find people are listening better and I feel I am hearing them show more better. I even had someone come up to me and thank me for showing my ability to hear them out - to me, that's worth gold.
Practice makes perfect, and Scott's annexes will help me focus on staying on the right track. Her simple, straightforward approach is easy to understand and, with a bit of confidence, easy to apply. It takes the defensiveness out of the equation and replaces the value of silence and cuing. This book has definitely enriched my leadership skills. show less

‘It’s all about our conversations’

Washington author Susan Scott is the founder of Fierce, Inc – a global training company that helps major companies generate significant results by transforming the conversations central to their success. Her books to date – FIERCE CONVERSATIONS, FIERCE LEADERSHIP, and now FIERCE LOVE. In this book she directs her awarded energies away from corporations and directs her advice to incorporating her ideas in personal love relationships.

One of the joys show more of reading Susan’s book of insights is her manner of communicating with the reader. ‘Love doesn’t make itself, you know. We make it. Or fail to make it… You can’t make yourself love someone, neither can you make someone love you. What you can do is behave and speak in a way that would entice love if it happened to be in the vicinity, so that love would want to hang out with you for a while. What you can do is be a loving and lovable human being.’ ‘Conversations are the fulcrum that enable s to accomplish our most important goals, especially regarding the quality of our relationships. How much love you have is up to you and while it may seem complicated, it isn’t. Not really. It’s all about our conversations.’

In this book Susan offers advice on love relationships from inception to nurturing, such as ‘The five myths that mislead and derail us – You complete me, True love is unconditional, You must fulfill my list, If you loved me you’d know, and Love is all you need.’ She explores conversations we all have, but instead of simply listing the types of those verbal encounters, she analyses and explains how such communication functions in relation to enhancing relationships. Her style – stories, insights, and guidance delivered in a comfortable and accessible manner. Susan Scott becomes a fine coach for working on the way we relate to others through our conversations – the pathway to ‘fierce love.’ Recommended. show less

This book is an essential guide for couples who desire to build vital relationship skills, particularly during challenging moments. The tools for growth and learning are written in a warm and no-nonsense manner, it does a beautiful job of exploring the many issues the modern-day couple faces, while normalizing the reader’s experience by offering examples of couples working through similar challenges. A necessary read for anyone wanting to improve the quality of their relationships.

After show more spending so much time at home together with my partner during the pandemic our relationship was starting to feel the strain and a close friend recommended I give Fierce Love a read. I was a little sceptical at first, I’ll admit, but after having read the book I decided to talk with my partner and asked him to read the book with me. After a little persuasion he did and I have to say there has been an improvement with our communications and things between us are getting better. Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t performed miracles, but it has greatly improved the quality of our connection with each other and it feels good. We will continue to use this book as a guide. A most highly recommended read. show less