Rating: 
Summary: A great place to start learning how to communicate better
Review: With 23 years in corrections, I was amazed how much I learned from reading this book. A person may think they are an excellent communicator, but in reality we all can improve our skills. I have put this book to good use in teaching professionalism and ethics to new corrections recruits. In a prison setting the most valuable (or dangerous weapon) we possess is our mouth. It is true that 98% of our job/day is verbally communicating with people. I know it will be better and more effective communications in the future from reading this book. The examples and life experiences really illustrated Dr. Thompson's message.
Rating: 
Summary: Practical & Highly Memorable
Review: With such a unique background, any stories he'd tell would be interesting. However these practical demonstrations are so memorable, I found myself immediately and naturally applying them in my own life. I've recently read a number of "communication" books because I've been feeling that I could do better in this area. This is the book I'm passing on to my teenage sons. Dr. Thompson's many examples, coming from all angles of life, are the treasure. I don't expect to encounter the heavy situations he handled in his police work, but he's correct: if his methods of staying in control work there, they'll work anywhere. My one and only caveat is that in order to understand and apply Dr. Thompson's methods, one must possess a certain amount of emotional maturity to begin with. Reading this book will not turn a social moron into a diplomat, at least not until he's worked on his personal issues. But for those of us who interact well most of the time, and occasionally have situations blow up in our faces without understanding why, this is a perfect book.
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