Shut Up and Say Something: Business Communication Strategies to Overcome Challenges and Influence Listeners

by Karen Friedman

Overview

For business people looking to get results and up their income, this book divulges no-nonsense strategies that can turban anyone into a powerful speaker who can overcome challenges and influence the right listeners.

In today's high-tech world, there are more ways than ever before to communicate: email, text messaging, voicemails, blogs, tweets, video conference calls, and remote meetings. But one thing is still exactly the same as in the old days: there are effective and ineffective ways to express yourself. All business professionals need to know how to communicate clearly, concisely, and passionately if they want their intended message to impact others.

Shut Up and Say Something shows readers how to convincingly communicate their expertise in any business situation. This book demonstrates how to condense complicated concepts, minimize communication mistakes, avoid misinterpretation, convey vision, and quickly influence decision makers. Strategies for expressing yourself succinctly and clearly, dodging "loaded" questions, thinking fast on your feet, humanizing inscrutable information, and using humor to engage an audience are examples of the topics covered. The importance of prioritizing outcomes is emphasized throughout the book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313385858
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/06/2010
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Karen Friedman is a professional communication coach and speaker who serves as president of Karen Friedman Enterprises.

Table of Contents

Author's Note
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 Zip It
Chapter 2 You're On
Chapter 3 X-ray Vision
Chapter 4 What's the Story?
Chapter 5 Visual Overload
Chapter 6 Understand Your Audience
Chapter 7 Talk to Your Grandmother
Chapter 8 So What?
Chapter 9 Reality Check
Chapter 10 Queasy Times
Chapter 11 Political Lessons
Chapter 12 Owning Media Interviews
Chapter 13 No Presence
Chapter 14 Managing Messages
Chapter 15 Likeable Leadership Lessons
Chapter 16 Keepers and Catchy Phrases
Chapter 17 Just a Meeting
Chapter 18 Internationally Speaking
Chapter 19 Hug Me
Chapter 20 Gut Check
Chapter 21 Fire Away
Chapter 22 Electronic Engagement
Chapter 23 DOODY Principle
Chapter 24 Communicating Change
Chapter 25 Big No-Nos
Chapter 26 Approachable Attitudes
Appendix A: Quick Tip Resources
Appendix B: Recommended Reading
Index

What People are Saying About This

Vin Milano

"Karen Friedman gets it -- and she is giving it to all of us with Shut Up and Say Something. Rarely does a book spark so many flashbacks to personal experiences as well as this one does. It is Karen's great insight and experiences that serve as a 'how to' guide on being an outstanding communicator. Great stories with great solutions. A must read for everyone who wants to be the best communicator they can be."

—

Vin Milano, CEO, ViroPharma

Armando Anido

"Karen is the best in the industry! Smart, experienced and very insighful. Her book is as good as her being there to coach you. A must read for anyone looking to make a difference."

— Armando Anido, CEO and President Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Jack Nicklaus

"Throughout my career, I have enjoyed a wonderful working relationship with the media, but during my work with Karen, I discovered some new and very useful strategies to improve how I communicate in a business situation. Karen is very passionate about her craft and her energy is infectious. I guess she was able to teach an old bear a few new communication tricks."
— Jack Nicklaus, Professional Golfer

Ed Rendell

"Communicating well is the key to success in the modern-day world. No one knows how to do it better than Karen Friedman. Her sound advice will revolutionize the way you communicate in public and in business. A tremendous resource that should be required reading."
— Ed Rendell, Governor, PA

Vin Milano

"Karen Friedman gets it -- and she is giving it to all of us with Shut Up and Say Something . Rarely does a book spark so many flashbacks to personal experiences as well as this one does. It is Karen's great insight and experiences that serve as a 'how to' guide on being an outstanding communicator. Great stories with great solutions. A must read for everyone who wants to be the best communicator they can be."
— Vin Milano, CEO, ViroPharma

Pat Croce

"There are no dreams and goals coming true if you can't communicate your vision and mission. Learn from an expert the tricks of the trade to make your words insightful and infectious. And then shut up and smile!"
— Pat Croce, best-selling author and serial entrepreneur

Armando Anido

"Karen is the best in the industry! Smart, experienced and very insighful. Her book is as good as her being there to coach you. A must read for anyone looking to make a difference."

—

Armando Anido, CEO and President Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Drew Murphy

" Shut Up and Say Something is a great resource for learning how to communicate effectively in any situation. And Karen Friedman's coaching makes for more powerful and persuasive interviews, every time."
— Drew Murphy, NRG Energy Executive Vice President

Jeffrey Zaslow

"Karen Friedman has a great gift for explaining how businesspeople need to think, talk, plan, react, hold back, take a breath or reevaluate their efforts. In this engaging book, she distills her decades of experience into a tour-de-force of communications strategies."

—

Jeffrey Zaslow, Wall Street Journal columnist and co-author of The Last Lecture

Drew Murphy

"Shut Up and Say Something is a great resource for learning how to communicate effectively in any situation. And Karen Friedman's coaching makes for more powerful and persuasive interviews, every time."

—

Drew Murphy, NRG Energy Executive Vice President

Vincent T. Donnelly

"Karen taught me how to focus on my audience's perspective and deliver my message in a manner that connects with them. Her coaching approach is practical and effective."
— Vincent T. Donnelly, President & Chief Executive Officer, PMA Capital Corporation

David L. Cohen

"Karen Friedman has given us what's missing in other business communication books. Friedman's years of experience in media, public speaking, and inside corporate meeting rooms leaps off the pages to help readers tap their own talents. Shut Up and Say Something is a truly valuable resource for anyone who has to communicate in the competitive 21st century workplace."
— David L. Cohen, Executive Vice President, Comcast Corporation

Ed Rendell

"Communicating well is the key to success in the modern-day world. No one knows how to do it better than Karen Friedman. Her sound advice will revolutionize the way you communicate in public and in business. A tremendous resource that should be required reading."

—

Ed Rendell, Governor, PA

Vincent T. Donnelly

"Karen taught me how to focus on my audience's perspective and deliver my message in a manner that connects with them. Her coaching approach is practical and effective."

—

Vincent T. Donnelly, President & Chief Executive Officer, PMA Capital Corporation

David L. Cohen

"Karen Friedman has given us what's missing in other business communication books. Friedman's years of experience in media, public speaking, and inside corporate meeting rooms leaps off the pages to help readers tap their own talents. Shut Up and Say Something is a truly valuable resource for anyone who has to communicate in the competitive 21st century workplace."

—

David L. Cohen, Executive Vice President, Comcast Corporation

Pat Croce

"There are no dreams and goals coming true if you can't communicate your vision and mission. Learn from an expert the tricks of the trade to make your words insightful and infectious. And then shut up and smile!"

—

Pat Croce, best-selling author and serial entrepreneur

Harvey Lamm

"Karen Friedman's book is a must-read for anyone looking to make organizations more responsive to their customers, employees, investors, or suppliers. At Suburu of America, we built an organization and product that treated the customer as king with a product on durability, reliability, and value. As an entrepreneur and a niche marketer, every time we talked, we had to say something that spoke to our mission and marketing philosophy because we had to watch our pennies and the marketplace was full of competitors. The lesson we learned is that if you don't communicate well, you get lost in the noise. Karen Friedman's book makes that point in entertaining, easily read, and memorable stories and anecdotes."
— Harvey Lamm, Founder and Former Chairman and CEO, Suburu of America

Jack Nicklaus

"Throughout my career, I have enjoyed a wonderful working relationship with the media, but during my work with Karen, I discovered some new and very useful strategies to improve how I communicate in a business situation. Karen is very passionate about her craft and her energy is infectious. I guess she was able to teach an old bear a few new communication tricks."

—

Jack Nicklaus, Professional Golfer

Harvey Lamm

"Karen Friedman's book is a must-read for anyone looking to make organizations more responsive to their customers, employees, investors, or suppliers. At Suburu of America, we built an organization and product that treated the customer as king with a product on durability, reliability, and value. As an entrepreneur and a niche marketer, every time we talked, we had to say something that spoke to our mission and marketing philosophy because we had to watch our pennies and the marketplace was full of competitors. The lesson we learned is that if you don't communicate well, you get lost in the noise. Karen Friedman's book makes that point in entertaining, easily read, and memorable stories and anecdotes."

—

Harvey Lamm, Founder and Former Chairman and CEO, Suburu of America

Jeffrey Zaslow

"Karen Friedman has a great gift for explaining how businesspeople need to think, talk, plan, react, hold back, take a breath or reevaluate their efforts. In this engaging book, she distills her decades of experience into a tour-de-force of communications strategies."
— Jeffrey Zaslow, Wall Street Journal columnist and co-author of The Last Lecture

Editorial Reviews

Karen Friedman hits the nail on the head in her newly-released book, Shut Up and Say Something. Right from the beginning with chapter one, 'Zip It' to chapters 'Talk to your Grandmother' and 'Reality Check,' Friedman presents attention-grabbers. . . . Shut Up and Say Something is outlined with easy to read bullet points and relevant anecdotes from Friedman's years in the industry from working as a news anchor and reporter to her experience in the communications coaching business. She presents key points when dealing with the media and proves their importance through some cringe worthy real-life anecdotes. She clearly demonstrates just how one sound bite or off-the-cuff remark can be linked to you and/or your organization forever.” —The PR Lawyer (theprlawyer.com)

“A practical, easy to use reference guide for business communications. . . . Clearly Karen understands business communication well enough to explain it simply.” —Healthcare Businesswomen's Association

From the Publisher