"Updated edition with new foreword."

Introduction : communication as a noncontact sport -- 1. Birth of a communication samurai -- 2. Motivating the disagreeable -- 3. Baptism of fire -- 4. Taking crap with dignity, and style -- 5. The nice, the difficult, and the wimp -- 6. Eleven things never to say to anyone (and how to respond if some idiot says them to you) -- 7. The crucible of the street -- 8. The most powerful word in the English language -- 9. The greatest speech you'll ever live to regret -- 10. The only way to interrupt people and still have them love you -- 11. Verbal judo versus verbal karate -- 12. The five-step hard style -- 13. The first great communication art : representation -- 14. The second great communication art : translation -- 15. The third great communication art : mediation -- 16. What makes this all so difficult -- 17. Readin', 'ritin', and rhetoric -- 18. How to diagnose a verbal encounter -- 19. The language of reassurance -- 20. How to fight fair -- 21. Take the giant LEAPS -- 22. Applying LEAPS to your world -- 23. Persuasion for fun and profit -- 24. The misunderstood motivator -- 25. You can punish without drawing blood -- 26. Dancing when you might have stumbled -- 27. Verbal judo as an automatic response -- 28. Final chapter: The five truths that fit all

"Verbal Judo is the classic guide to the martial art of the mind and mouth that can help you defuse confrontations and generate cooperation, whether you're talking to a boss, a spouse, or even a teenager. For more than a generation, Dr. George J. Thompson's essential handbook has taught people how to communicate more confidently and persuasively in any situation. Verbal Judo shows you how to listen and speak more effectively, engage others through empathy (the most powerful word in the English language), avoid the most common conversational disasters, and use proven strategies to successfully express your point of view - and take the lead in most disputes. This updated edition includes a new foreword and a chapter featuring Dr. Thompson's five universal truths of "human interaction""--Page 4 of cover