Messages Workbook

When we asked Dr. Matt McKay-coauthor of Messages: The Communication Skills Book, New Harbinger publisher, and psychologist in private practice-how many of his clients had communication problems, he answered without hesitation: 100 percent.

Simply put, skill at communicating with others is the single largest determinant of anyone's happiness, and success. Rewarding and lucrative careers, strong and lasting friendships, meaningful and satisfying romance all hang on this one uniquely human ability.

You need strong communication skills to survive. The better able you are to communicate with others, the happier and more successful you will be. Rewarding and lucrative careers, strong and lasting friendships, meaningful and satisfying romance all hang on this one uniquely human ability. Communication is a skill that can always be improved with good information and practice. Whatever your communication needs, this book offers you real tools you can use to express yourself well and relate to others effectively.

The original Messages taught you the fundamental skills you need to communicate well. This workbook offers you exercises and scripts you can use to practice these skills and make them your own. The workbook extends the techniques of Messages to a wide range of situations: Exercises teach you to communicate with teens and children. They help facilitate partner understanding by exploring gender communication differences. Step-by-step worksheets, fill-ins, and case stories help you avoid communication pitfalls and make long-lasting, life-enhancing changes. The workbook guides you through challenging communication situations like talking through a power dynamic with a boss or a subordinate, with elders, or with people of different cultures.

• Learn to listen well, disclose information honestly, and express yourself clearly
• Communicate effectively with children, teens, elders, and coworkers
• Handle difficult conversations and manage conflict with poise, tact, and assertiveness
• Master the art of persuasion and succeed at work, at home, and in public life
• Meet new people, cultivate friendships, and relate well to the opposite gender
• Speak to groups large and small with conviction and confidence

Patrick Fanning is a professional writer in the mental health field and the founder of a men's support group in northern California. He has authored and coauthored eight self-help books, including Self-Esteem, Thoughts and Feelings, Couple Skills, and Mind and Emotions.

Kim Paleg, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in San Francisco and El Sobrante, CA. She is on the faculty of John F. Kennedy University. She is a contributing author to the self-help classic When Anger Hurts and coedited the widely used professional book Focal Group Psychotherapy. She specializes in couples and family therapy and conducts workshops on parenting.