Tongue Fu!

by Sam Horn

Book Overview

If you've ever been tongue-tied - or if you've ever given a tongue-lashing (and regretted it), Tongue Fu offers constructive alternatives that will turn hostility into harmony and help you avoid a mental breakdown in the face of aggression. With straightforward strategies and proven techniques, Tongue Fu examines almost every kind of verbal conflict - from fights with your spouse or a stalemate with the kids - and shows how to use martial arts...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312152272
• ISBN13: 9780312152277
• Release Date: March 1997
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

everclear1

"I wish I'd been introduced to these ideas years ago; they would have saved me so much unnecessary grief. As the author points out, this isn't just about dealing with difficult people. It's about communicating in a way that helps us get along better with just about anyone. I didn't even know there were such things as "Words to Lose," and now I realize I use them constantly with customers and co-workers, even my kids. No wonder people sometimes give me a hard time. I was using language that actually makes matters worse. The book tells you exactly what to say in different types of situations. Best of all, it made me think twice about the way I relate to people. Instead of seeing the other person as the one who is being ornery, I realize now that I could be contributing to it. This book is a real eye-opener and I'm glad I read it.

Sam Horn Can Help!

I recommend this book to everyone I know who ever has to deal with difficult people. (And don't we all, at some point?) Sam Horn shows us how to deflect verbal "attacks" and deal with challenging interpersonal situations in a diplomatic way, that leaves us feeling in control of our reactions and able to move on. Her book is as enjoyable as it is helpful, filled with practical advice to use now so we can learn to resolve conflicts positively and with our self-respect and dignity intact.

Disarming verbally aggressive people

Tongue Fu is an excellent treatise on how to handle verbal situations in life. Complainers, bullies, manipulators, it doesn't matter, all types of situations that are time-bombs and need to be diffused are covered in the book. The book is a working manual on how to recognize, disarm and remove those bombs before they explode and damage your reputation, your business, your relationship or just plain ruin your day. It covers the full gamut of information from how to recognize that you are under attack, to how to recognize the particular attack and what techniques are appropriate to disarm the attack. For some bombs cutting the blue wire disarms and for another one it sets the bomb off. Knowing the right type of situation you are dealing with lets you know what type of action disarms and what type sets the attack into high gear.Lots of case histories and lots of examples so you will know what you are doing., action plans to help you start putting the information into action, the book has it all. Another book that augments this title would be "The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense", a slightly more dated book but one that deals with many of the items in greater detail. Together they are a complete set of how to deal with verbally aggressive people.

Excellent training for the workplace and real life

I first read this book as a requirement when I began working at a doctor's office. Since then I've used it's techniques not only for face-to-face verbal conflict but in evaluation reports, constructive criticism for co workers, and dealing with irate phone calls. Every employer should have a copy available for their employees!

Easy-to-read view of how to stay sane in a verbal world.

Sam Horn covers a broad spectrum of verbal situations that can easily turn harmful if not handled well. Her recommendations are creative and practical and lets us take back control of our language. Horn's examples are so real one can hear the conversations! Each chapter ends with an action plan to help us deal with the particular difficulty covered. The final chapter ties a nice bow around all the techniques by encouraging the reader to develop an action plan to turn "intentions into actions."An easy read rich with appropriate quotations.