Book Review: Messages: The Communications Skills Book

This book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Communication Skills, the tools and methods to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of an exchange of information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behavior. Meryl Runion is the Official Guide to Communication Skills.nnMessages: The Communications Skills Book is a valuable resource for people interested in Communication Skills, and it is available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.nnBook DescriptionnImprove your relationships and personal effectiveness by mastering body language, sexual communication, making contact, assertiveness, negotiation, public speaking, self-disclosure, active listening, and influencing others. nThis book is a complete and accessible guide for anyone who wishes to communicate better and more effectively. It is also highly recommended for therapists who wish to provide a structured training porgram in specific communications skills for clients. nnFrom the Back CovernA Complete Program for Effective Communication nnYou need strong communication skills to survive. The better able you are to communicate with others, the happier and more successful you will be. Rewarding and lucrative careers, strong and lasting friendships, meaningful and satisfying romance all hang on this one uniquely human ability. Communication is a skill that can always be improved with good information and practice. Whatever your communication needs, this book offers you real tools you can use to express yourself well and relate to others effectively. nnThe original Messages taught you the fundamental skills you need to communicate well. This workbook offers you exercises and scripts you can use to practice these skills and make them your own. The workbook extends the techniques of Messages to a wide range of situations: Exercises teach you to communciate with teens and children. They help facilitate partner understanding by exploring gender communication differences. Step-by-step worksheets, fill-ins, and case stories help you avoid communication pitfalls and make long-lasting, life-enhancing changes. The workbook guides you through challenging communication situations like talking through a power dynamic with a boss or a subordinate, with elders, or with people of different cultures. nn· Learn to listen well, disclose information honestly, and express yourself clearly · Communicate effectively with children, teens, elders, and coworkers · Handle difficult conversations and manage conflict with poise, tact, and assertiveness · Master the art of persuasion and succeed at work, at home, and in public life · Meet new people, cultivate friendships, and relate well to the opposite gender · Speak to groups large and small with conviction and confidence.