Most of us have everyday conversations with ease, yet we can get tripped up when the topic turns serious or emotional. We may fumble or freeze. We may fear saying the wrong words, making things worse, or getting stuck in an endless argument cycle. Fortunately, there are steps we can take to improve how we speak to others. In The Conversation Guide: How To Skillfully Communicate, Set Boundaries, and Be Understood, registered clinical counsellor and teacher J.L.Prevost teaches 10 skills for making all types of conversations less stressful, easier, and more effective. Grounded in gold-standard techniques from communication and psychology models, the 10 skills will give you the confidence and know-how to prepare for, start, and structure conversations. Through relatable anecdotes, common dialogue examples, and valuable tips, this guide offers practical solutions you can implement right away, without having to wade through pages of communication theory, The Conversation Guide will teach you skills to: - Stop avoiding confrontation - Set and enforce personal boundaries - Structure difficult conversations - Establish common goals - Support yourself post- talk Whether you are facing a difficult conversation with a boss, client, friend, romantic partner, or parent, this book can help you say what you need to say- and avoid misunderstandings- without compromising your boundaries or your relationships.

Conversational Power shows anyone how to gain the upper hand in any situation by using the power of the spoken word to control the minds, emotions and behavior of others in hundreds of different situations. Easy-to-learn techniques enable the reader to come out ahead in family, business and social situations.

Illustrated with real-world examples of both successful and unsuccessful difficult conversations, this book will serve as an important leadership tool for handling change and conflicts in the library workplace.

From an Ivy League dean and a college admissions expert, a guide to help parents support their children as they navigate their way to college The College Conversation is a comprehensive resource for mapping the path through the college application process that provides practical advice and reassurance to keep both anxious parents and confused children sane and grounded. Rather than adding to the existing canon of "How to Get In" college guides or rankings, Eric Furda and Jacques Steinberg provide a step-by-step approach to having the tough conversations on this topic with less stress and more success. The book is organized around key discussions and themes that trace the chronological arc of admissions and financial aid--beginning before the assembly of a list of potential colleges and continuing through the receipt of decisions--with a final section that includes advice on the first year of college. The topics include preliminary conversations about the search, and specifically how parents can think about their children's interests and what kind of college would best suit them; choosing a college (based on its curriculum, culture, and community); writing the most effective essays; assessing acceptances, including considerations of finances and aid; and making the transition from high school to college life. The College Conversation will provide parents, students, and counselors with the credible, level-headed information often missing in this process, as well as a much-needed dash of perspective borne of experience.

"There is an unspoken dark side of American medicine--keeping patients alive at all costs. Two thirds of Americans die in healthcare institutions tethered to machines and tubes, even though research indicates that most prefer to die at home in comfort, surrounded by loved ones. The question How do you want to live? must be posed to the seriously ill because they deserve to choose. If doctors explain options--including the choice to forego countless medical interventions that are often of little benefit--then patients can tell doctors how they wish to spend the remainder of their lives. A doctor's heroic efforts to prolong a life can instead prolong that patient's death, and these traumatic measures also bankrupt the healthcare system. One third of the Medicare budget is spent on the last six months of life, often on technological interventions that are not helpful and inflict more suffering. Through the stories of six patients and six very different end-of-life experiences, Volandes explores the trajectory of events and treatments that occur with and without this essential conversation. He argues for a radical re-envisioning of the patient-doctor relationship--including videos to spark discussions--and offers ways for patients and their families to talk about this difficult issue to ensure that patients will be at the center and in charge of their medical care"--Provided by publisher.

Whether at home or at work, you spend a lot of your waking hours conversing with other people. You try to influence their behavior by advising, ordering, and persuading--but all too often, you fail to get through to them. Here are scores of conversation power techniques you can use to control the behavior of others in virtually any family, business, or social situation. Without ever raising your voice, you can get anyone to do what you want, the way you want--and do it gladly.Once you learn these simple methods of verbal persuasion, you'll wield an almost magical power over everyone--and win the respect, support, and friendship of everyone you meet!

This ebook has been updated to provide you with the latest guidance on documenting sources in MLA style and follows the guidelines set forth in the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (April 2021). Grounded in the best practices of effective writing instruction, Joining the Conversation’s rhetorical approach teaches students the key critical thinking skills they will draw on as they begin to explore and respond thoughtfully to the complex conversations around them. From reflective and informative to analytical and persuasive writing, chapters follow real student writers as they find a conversation, develop, revise, and document their writing. Thoroughly revised, the fourth edition includes new student projects and more support for academic reading, critical thinking, and assessing credibility and bias.