Getting Through to People (Paperback)

~ Jesse S. Nirenberg (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Listeners discover powerful, proven ways to break through the mental and emotional barriers that obstruct the flow of ideas from one person to another. 4 cassettes. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Trade (April 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0133550419
• ISBN-13: 978-0133550412
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,052,804 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful book on communication skills, May 7, 2002

By	Dr. Ellen Kenner, Clinical Psychologist - See all my reviews

Jesse Nirenberg's book is a timeless gem that is well worth reading. He has an extraordinary understanding of how to communicate to get ideas across, how to listen with the purpose of understanding another person, how to deal with heated emotions in conversations, how to detect and deal with another person's irrationality, how to hear mixed contexts in a conversation and much more. To give you a first hand view of the value of this book, I have excerpted some of my favorite quotes.
On exposing the irrational: "...resistance is often based on a combination of rational and irrational elements. Brought into the light of discussion the rational element will maintain its dimensions. It will remain as important as it ever was. But the irrational element, similarly exposed, will tend to evaporate. The force it had in the dark of the individual's interior dies out when brought to light. As a result of discussing the resistance its force becomes reduced to the strength of the rational element."
On active listening: "Meaningful listening is somewhat like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Hearing the words is like receiving the pieces. But listening meaningfully is putting the pieces together to form a picture. When the listener asks a question that should have been unnecessary he has just been receiving the pieces but not putting them together."
On resistance to rational ideas: "... to persuade someone to your way of thinking it is necessary that he first pass through a stage of resistance... His resistance, his struggle to convince you of the opposite, is a sign that he is fully involved in consid-ering your position. He isn't comfortable with his own. He knows deep down that it doesn't make sense but fights to hold it anyway by trying to convince you as a way of convincing himself.... He is responsive to your arguments even though the response at the moment is oppositional. One part of him is in conflict with another."
On the change process: "People do not change positions immediately upon hearing a logical reason for doing so, no matter how good the case for changing is. Even though the evidence clearly favors changing positions, people are hesitant to do it in a single jump. They want to work it over in their minds, make sure they under-stand it and are doing the right thing. They want to thread their way cautiously to the new position, surveying the ground around them to make sure it's firm."
This book is a treasure find for anyone wanting to understand and improve his own thinking and communication methods.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understand why people say & react differently than you, August 17, 1998

By A Customer

An excellent source to understanding the motives behind phrases and actions. An easy to read, fun reference to whomever wants to understand human reactions and the motives behind them. If you want to improve your communication skills, this book is a must. Helpful for managers, leaders, salespeople, spouses, and for everybody!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book, November 29, 2008

By	Tezza "Tezza" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Getting Through to People (Paperback)

This book is really a "life primer" for how to communicate with people.

Dr. Nirenberg's book is chock full of wisdom and humorous examples.

If you've ever wondered why people say the things they say - and do the things they do - then buy this book!