Overcoming Fake Talk: How to Hold REAL Conversations that Create Respect, Build Relationships, and Get Results

by John Stoker

Overview

In Overcoming Fake Talk, business communication guru John R. Stoker offers proven advice for turning challenging confrontations into rewarding exchanges that foster collaboration, improve performance, and achieve results.

"Overcoming Fake Talk is a thorough compendium of ideas, frameworks, examples, and actions to improve conversations. Stoker's four 'REAL' conversation skills and eight principles give the novice and master insights and guidelines for improving conversation." — Dave Ulrich, Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan; Partner, The RBL Group; and author of The Why of Work

"Great questions, great suggestions. . . . Bravo! I will put Stoker's ideas to use in my own practice." — Beverly Kaye, founder and co-CEO, Career Systems International, and coauthor of Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go

"Adhering to and implementing these principles will dramatically increase your ability to communicate and improve your relationships in your professional and personal life." — Hyrum W. Smith, cofounder, FranklinCovey

"An insightful blend of rock-solid theory accompanied by compelling examples of the huge distinction between real and fake communication." — John H. Zenger, CEO, Zenger Folkman, and coauthor of How to Be Exceptional

"Stoker teaches true principles for getting Results, Respect, and great Relationships using REAL conversation." — Brent D. Peterson, PhD, coauthor of Fake Work

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780071815796
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	05/17/2013
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

John R. Stoker is the founder and president of DialogueWORKS, LLC. In these roles, John has worked extensively with numerous organizations, helping them increase their capacity to enhance effectiveness and improve results.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction: How Do You Begin? xv

Chapter 1 What Keeps You Up at Night? 1

Chapter 2 Why Can't You See What's Happening? The Awareness Principle-Choose to Be Conscious 17

Chapter 3 What Are REAL Conversations? The Knowledge Principle-Do to Know 39

Chapter 4 Do You Ruin Everything by Being You? The Reflection Principle-Reflect Reflections 63

Chapter 5 How Do You Get Out of Your Stinking Thinking? The Perception Principle-Recognize and Suspend to Uncover 91

Chapter 6 Can You Talk About What Really Matters? The Preparation Principle-Prepare or Beware 119

Chapter 7 Do You Open Your Mouth and Remove All Doubt? The Expression Principle-Express Your Intention 149

Chapter 8 How Is the Answer in the Question? The Discovery Principle-Ask to Reveal 187

Chapter 9 Why Ego Off? The Connection Principle-Listen and Attend to Connect 219

Chapter 10 Progression: How Do You Move Forward? 245

Appendix 259

Notes 263

Index 267

Editorial Reviews

This well-organized production from a business communication expert is less about insincerity or posing than about how to have effective conversations that do what we intend them to do. The advice is easy to digest because it’s anchored in intuitive principles and because Jeff Cummings’s performance keeps the sheer volume of ideas from becoming overwhelming. Along with his appealing natural-sounding diction and effortless phrasing, he has a lively palette of entertaining interpretations of the case studies and dialogue used by the author to illustrate his points. This is a common-sense guide to getting more from our conversations by learning to be more disciplined, more sensitive to the process, and more respectful toward others. T.W. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2014 - AudioFile