Straight Talk: Turning Communications Upside Down for Strategic Results at Work (Hardcover)

~ Eric Douglas (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Douglas makes a direct link between effective communication and increased productivity. -- Booklist, May 15, 1998

Readers will learn how to make decisions, manage meetings, and resolve conflict. -- HR Magazine, May 1998

Straight Talk gets points for its attention to detail. No failures to communicate here. -- Entrepreneur Magazine, April 1, 1999

Product Description

What makes one an effective communicator in today's fast-paced, ever-changing business world? How can people tackle tough issues and resolve them successfully? Whether you work in an office as part of a team or collaborate from home via e-mail, communication competence has become more important than ever.

Straight Talk shows how skillful communication can help people reach resolution for strategic results--even on the thorniest, most controversial issues. The key to becoming a master communicator, according to management consultant Eric Douglas, is to become expert in using new communication tools that enable you to think more clearly and communicate in a far superior way. The result? Productive conversations that bring shared understanding, mutual action, and breakthrough results.

In Straight Talk, Douglas provides these tools and the direction needed for effective use of each. It all begins with communication styles, says Douglas, who identifies and profiles the four different types--Director, Expresser, Thinker, and Harmonizer. The secret to identifying other people's styles is to ask questions, observe reactions, and listen actively, he says. "Watch how people interact with you. Do they engage in small talk? Do they cut to the bottom line? Do they tell stories? Each of these is a tradmark of a particular style."

Using exercises, surveys, and corporate stories, Straight Talk describes each style in action and offers techniques for developing a repertoire of styles for different situations. Readers learn to identify their own communication style and that of others, and how to modify their style for strategic results. They learn new methods for decoding conversations as well as new skills for improving time management, problem solving, decision making, project management, conflict resolution, meeting efficiency, and organizational culture through competent communication.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Davies-Black Publishing; 1st edition (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891061177
• ISBN-13: 978-0891061175
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,214,079 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended reading for business managers, February 21, 2001

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

In Straight Talk: Turning Communication Upside Down For Strategic Results At Work, Eric Douglas draws upon his considerable business management expertise to show how anyone can identity their own communication style, as well as that of others, and modify that style for improved strategic results. Highly recommended reading for business managers at all levels of responsibility for corporate affairs, Straight Talk offers exercises, surveys, and real-life case studies to enhance the reader's telecommunication skills and effectiveness, and demonstrates how competent communication can play a significant, vital role to solve today's most urgent organizational problems and difficulties.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Communication Book, September 10, 2009

By	Lupe "Photo Fun" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

The book is a very easy read and provides actionable insights into communicating in professional and personal relationships. I've had the opportunity to meet the author several times, and he is certainly in the right field. It has been a useful professional tool, and offers a different perspective on communication bridges.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the most comprehensive book on group commmunication, July 26, 1999

By A Customer

The author skillfully weaves case studies with practical tools to give you a very complete look at strategies and techniques for guiding group communication. For couples it's also great, because the Communication Styles Survey gives you instant insights into your relationship. Highly recommended for anyone in a consulting role.