How to Tell Anyone Anything: Breakthrough Techniques for Handling Difficult Conversations at Work

No one likes to be criticized. But when feedback is necessary—whether it’s with a boss, someone we manage, or another co-worker—it takes great communication skills to successfully get the message across with feelings and relationships intact.

Drawing from the latest in psychology on how best to connect with others, How to Tell Anyone Anything steers readers away from the common mistake of focusing on what’s wrong, and shows them instead how to provide clear, constructive, positive messages that create real behavior and performance change. Complete with illuminating examples and a unique step-by-step process, the book gives readers powerful insight into how we all react naturally to criticism—and how to transform interactions that might become verbal tugs-of-war into collaborative, problem-solving sessions.

Sometimes it's hard to keep our communication with coworkers positive. Whether it's with a boss, someone we manage, or a peer, bringing up and resolving awkward and challenging situations is never easy-and it's potentially explosive! But interactions that might otherwise become verbal tugs-of-war can easily be transformed from stressful moments of criticism to collaborative, problem-solving exchanges...just by using the right technique.

How to Tell Anyone Anything gives you a unique method for delivering constructive, positive messages that will create real changes in behavior and performance. Drawing from the latest in psychology on how best to connect with others, this book shows you step by step how to get your message across successfully while keeping feelings and relationships intact. Complete with helpful examples, How to Tell Anyone Anything reveals the painless new approach to communication we can all use to make our most challenging conversations both productive and stress-free.

Richard S. Gallagher (Ithaca, NY) is a popular corporate trainer and public speaker who specializes in the mechanics of workplace culture and communication. He is the author of several books including Great Customer Connections (978-0-8144-7308-5) and What to Say to a Porcupine (978-0-8144-1055-4).