Healing Conversations: What to Say When You Don't Know What to Say [Import] [Unbound]

Nance Guilmartin (Author)

Product Details

• Unbound
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass (December 2002)
• ISBN-10: 0787966940
• ISBN-13: 978-0787966942
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Nance Guilmartin is a four-time regional Emmy Award winner, executive coach, consultant, and educator. As a Westinghouse Broadcasting executive she launched the Designated Driver program and the For Kids' Sake and Time to Care campaigns. Before entering television, she was press secretary to the late U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas. A Tufts University graduate, she honed her listening skills as a news writer at CBS radio in Boston and as editorial director at WBZ-TV. Nance is a Trustee of AACR, the nation's oldest and largest scientific organization focused on cancer research, and is a Fellow of Florida International University's Center for Leadership. She teaches people to succeed in times of change, growth and uncertainty by maximizing their CQ - "communications intelligence". Through retreats, workshops, interactive keynotes, customized problem solving programs and straight-shooter executive mentoring she helps people quickly generate breakthroughs. Her first book, Healing Conversations: What to Say When You Don't Know What to Say (Wiley, 2002,) has been published in twelve languages.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Healing Conversations, April 7, 2002

By 

Christine Felix (Marina del Rey, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Healing Conversations: What to Say When You Don't Know What to Say (Hardcover)

What a wonderful book! Nance Guilmartin's Healing Conversations gives us the opportunity to find the appropriate and caring thing to say, when we are at a loss for words. It also teaches us that listening is the most important thing in a healing conversation. We humans often work so hard to find the right thing to say while someone is telling their story that if we had simply listened, the message we could have delivered to them, might have been very apparent. I have personally had people risk sharing their stories with me when I was sick with cancer. I knew what I wanted to hear and when I did not want to hear anything at all. Just a listening ear and an open heart. Ms. Guilmartin' book is perceptive in its wisdom and reminds us that we are part of a large family called humankind. Her words teach us to be both human and kind. I plan to buy it for all of my doctors and nurses. I keep it on my nightstand - there are times when I may not need to have a healing conversation with someone other than myself - I find solace and comfort in her words.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great guidance for life's tough situations, May 8, 2002

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Healing Conversations: What to Say When You Don't Know What to Say (Hardcover)

A wonderful and healing book in itself, Nance Guilmartin's Healing Conversations gently guides the reader to the appropriate and caring thing to say when you don't know what to say. One of the most important things that it teaches is knowing when to keep your mouth shut and just listen. Sometimes just listening is the most critical part of a healing conversation. Sometimes we struggle so hard to find the right thing to say that we don't listen to what they are saying. Often if we had just listened to what they were saying we would have known the appropriate thing to say.

Excellent advice that anyone can use, it is divided into sections entitled "When you need a friend", "Health matters", "Healing conversations at work", "Transitions" and "Lost loves". While these are fairly broad categories, they are subdivided into detailed sections that cover just about every situation you might come across. From putting a pet to sleep to helping children understand illness to being fired or retiring the book is complete and reveals a dept of understanding and empathy not easily found in such books. A highly recommended read.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Connecting during Painful Times, August 25, 2002

By 

Steve Colwell (Wayland, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Healing Conversations: What to Say When You Don't Know What to Say (Hardcover)

Nance Guilmartin has a gentleness that has guided me to be there for others as they face their greatest challenges. This book is NOT a "how to" manual. Instead, Ms. Guilmartin leads the reader through anecdotal experiences. Rather than providing direct advice, she leaves room for the reader to draw their own conclusions. Personally, I find this to be more helpful and natural--infering from her words my own way of being with others during their painful experiences.