Instant Persuasion: How to Change Your Words to Change Your Life
By Laurie Puhn
Tarcher/Penguin, January 2005
304 pages, $19.95
The conceit of first showing a “communication blunder” and then a couple of pages later showing what could have been said differently in order to turn it into a “communication wonder” becomes wearing fairly quickly. Ignore it. Instead, concentrate on the solid advice that Puhn, a Harvard Law School-trained mediator, offers to help you communicate more clearly and in such a way as to get the best out of your employees. Examples: Don’t argue about something if there are facts available to end the dispute; and when working out with employees what needs to get done, be as specific as possible.
