For some employees, verbal abuse can be the everyday language of doing business. Defending yourself from these verbal abusers—calmly, professionally, and successfully—can be crucial to your on-the-job success. Nationally recognized linguistics expert and author Suzette Haden Elgin applies her acclaimed techniques for combating verbal attacks to common workplace situations. Powerful yet unthreatening, her proven strategies will help you recognize and defend yourself from verbal abuse—everything from casual obscenities and racist or sexist language to sarcasm, cutting jokes, and subtle put-downs. Richly illustrated with fully dramatizes scenarios and real-world examples, Dr. Elgin’s communication techniques will help you instantly take control of any verbal confrontation. You’ll also learn how to avoid “malpractice of the mouth” and sexual harassment; communicate sensitively and clearly with non-native English speakers; and project a strong, straightforward, and trustworthy image. You’ll find tips for handling sensitive issues via email and voice mail, advice on meeting the communication challenges that face home-based and virtual businesses, and plenty of “workouts” placed throughout the book to give you valuable opportunities to practice your new skills. The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense at Work is your roadmap through the potentially career-threatening minefields of workplace communication.

"ARE YOU TIRED OF PEOPLE TELLING YOU, 'YOU'RE BEING TOO SENSITIVE'?" This book will teach you 6 simple, straight-forward, easy-to-follow steps for dealing with real world bullies in the workplace so you can put an end to their abuse for good. It's inevitable that people are going to occasionally say or do things that leave you feeling embarrassed, angry, ashamed, confused or upset. This book contains all the tools and techniques you'll ever need to handle those situations efficiently and effectively. No more sitting around feeling frustrated, looking back on an experience, thinking, "What I should have said was...!" Whether it's your boss, supervisor, co-worker, colleague, client, customer or a member of your own staff, you now hold in your hands a proven system to handle any incident in an appropriate, professional manner - while keeping your integrity intact. "Acknowledging your right to mental and emotional safety will help set the limits on what you are and are not willing to put up with." "Real and tangible advice about communication - which provides empowerment, as opposed to [mere] counseling - which [only] facilitates the victim-mentality." Catherine Mattice, www.noworkplacebullies.com "Practical advice, guidelines and exercises for evaluating and dealing effectively with workplace bullies." Janet Attard, www.businessknowhow.com

You're no idiot, of course. You know it's unhealthy to obsess about a waiter's insulting remarks, and you're tired of hearing your 'best friend' remind you of your shortcomings. But when it comes to actually confronting the verbal bullies in your life, you feel like your yellow streak has turned into stripes. Don't swallow your pride just yet! 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Verbal Self-Defense', by best-selling author Dr. Lillian Glass, shows you how to take control of the situation.

Dr. Lillian Glass, world renown body language and communication expert tells how how to take control of any situation s that you never have to be the victim of verbal bullying. You will learn concrete steps of how to take care of your own vocal and verbal cues so that you come across with confidence . You will learn the proven verbal techniques to respond to any verbal challenge. You will receive advice on when it is best to not respond to verbal attacks and valuable insight as to why people may lash out at you and what you can do about it. Here are some other valuable things you will learn in this book:Identify the verbal singers and use effective verbal singers to zap your opponent.Know who's verbally abusing you and not "just kidding"Read between the lines for toxic body language signals and what they really meanHow to confront gossipmongersHow to verbally defend yourself without losing your coolTurning negative comments to your advantage