I was more interested in reading about different perspectives in the business environment, and the most effective way to communicate between different roles. I did not buy the book to memorize long lists of words and phrases - the "good" ones and the "bad" ones.

The lists really put me off. They do get the right concepts across, in their own inept way, but they aren't all-inclusive, and it only stands to reason that sometimes they'll be wrong, depending upon the situation. Sure words are powerful, but delivery is everything. Body language, attitude, and neutral words used in the wrong way can have the same effect as words on the "bad" list, so the lists hardly make sense. I think the only time I will use these lists will be when I want to mock the late 90's and early 2000's with tired, overused phrases that I really can't stand to hear anymore. This book is at such a superficial level that it isn't even about communication.

I started teaching people to make PowerPoint presentations around 1992. Around 1995, I realized that many people were talking about themselves, so I suggested that the most important word they could use was "You." In 2003, I realized that people who wanted to be accepted by their audience should use the word "We." And then I picked up this book and read that the the three most important words in a business person's vocabulary were "we," "us," and "our." And that was on page eleven. At that point I was sold.

It's very easy to open your mouth and say your message in a way that alienates people. Very few people can negotiate difficult communications, but this book will help them do this. The book shows you words, phrases and body language to use and to avoid. It has numerous samples of conversations you can have with your fellow workers to put yourself in the best position.

The book covers all kinds of spoken business communications - the four largest sections include Getting a Job, speaking with your Supervisors, your Colleagues, and your Subordinates. Other groups are Prospective Clients, Current Clients, Handling Credit, Collection, and Customer Complaints, Vendors and Suppliers, and Lenders and Investors. In many cases you'll see the traps you can fall into.

You need to use this book with a little thought, in that the circumstances are usually similar to what you have to deal with, but not identical. But a few minutes' reading will change you from being a tongue-tied person to someone who achieves what you want.

I feel sorry for people who dismiss this and other similar books as "just common sense." I've known few people who possessed even a fraction of the skills shown in this book, and my own experience shows that I spent over ten years learning the information that appears in the beginning of the book.

Definitely a must-have, and a good book to build your general communications skills. And you'll stop coming away from meetings thinking, "I wish I could have said that better."

This is an excellent book for anyone who thinks of the right response about three days too late. This book also provides a good framework on which to base verbal communication. It is especially useful for anyone that is shy, non-assertive, non-confrontational, or simply wants to put forth a professional image. I use it as an example in my Customer Service and Career Search classes and the students love it!

I don't agree with absolutely everything in the book (I had a few problems with how to treat a tyrant boss), but overall, it was very good.

This book is (a) practical - it provides logical, step-by-step details that work, (b) situational - it is organized by the many types of conversations and interactions that one is likely to have on the job, and (c) inexpensive - it offers a lot for the money.

Granted, some of the specific situations covered in this book occur regularly and will be most helpful to readers who may have little or no workplace experience.

The book's real value, however, involves those interactions we have with our bosses, employees, customers, and suppliers that do not happen all that often. When these situations come up, emotions may run high and the stakes may be significant. In my experience, "common sense" alone wasn't always enough to ensure that I got what I needed and still maintained a good relationship with the other person. This book doesn't guarantee that (nothing does), but it does offer guidelines that have helped and worked for me.

If you have natural political savvy on the job, you probably don't need the information in this book. If you are more comfortable dealing with tasks than dealing with the people in your workplace, I think you will find this book well worth twelve bucks and the few minutes it takes to read about a specific interaction before you're actually having it.

This book claims to provide important keys to office communication, but there is nothing ground-breaking here. In fact, it's a disappointing waste of time of the first order, as most of the items covered are mere common sense. If you need help remembering not to refuse a request by your boss by telling him that "that's not my job" then, by all means, purchase this book. Otherwise, try one of the 1000s of books out there that can really help you achieve this goal, such as Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" or Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People".