Book Review: People Skills

nnThis book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Body Language. Body Language is nonverbal, usually unconscious, communication through the use of postures, gestures, and facial expressions. Robert Phipps is the Official Guide to Body Language.nnPeople Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts, by Robert Bolton, is a valuable resource for people interested in Body Language, and it is available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.nn

nBook DescriptionnA wall of silent resentment shuts you off from someone you love....You listen to an argument in which neither party seems to hear the other....Your mind drifts to other matters when people talk to you....nnPeople Skills is a communication-skills handbook that can help you eliminate these and other communication problems. Author Robert Bolton describes the twelve most common communication barriers, showing how these "roadblocks" damage relationships by increasing defensiveness, aggressiveness, or dependency. He explains how to acquire the ability to listen, assert yourself, resolve conflicts, and work out problems with others. These are skills that will help you communicate calmly, even in stressful emotionally charged situations.nnPeople Skills will show younn* How to get your needs met using simple assertion techniquesnn* How body language often speaks louder than wordsnn* How to use silence as a valuable communication toolnn* How to de-escalate family disputes, lovers' quarrels, and other heated argumentsnnBoth thought-provoking and practical, People Skills is filled with workable ideas that you can use to improve your communication in meaningful ways, every day.n