After getting two chapters into this pocket-sized book, I shut it. Place it atop my will-get-to-it-sometime stack of books. It isn’t the quick fix magazine article “Five sure-fire tips to get your way” that I was hoping it would be. Nope. Instead it delves into gray areas of communication where the reader has to use their own reasoning skills and intuition. Where’s the easy-to-discern black & white theoretical situations where speaking up is obvious? Nearly 8 months pass, and I finally hunker down and begin reading a chapter a day which gets me through the book in under a week.
Now am so glad I have read it cover to cover. I find myself referring back upon what the book lays out in a quasi-check list of questions to ask oneself before speaking up in the midst of tumultuous situations- be it with a boss, co-worker, spouse, or who-ever. It explains how to ask good questions. Why to check motives when talking to friends, family, and authorities. Ways to deal with anger and resentment, and how to overcome pressure to remain silent.
Something that stood out to me while reading:
“When then Prime Minister Clement Atlee was asked what [Winston] Churchill did to win the war, he replied simply “Talked about it.”
What a poignant statement! He talked about it. It was not how clever their military strategy was during the war, the force of their guns, ships, planes or troops. It was not their threats, anger or their superior battle plans that won the war. No! it was that Prime Minister Churchill talked about it and was unwilling to hide in fear and intimidation…” from When to speak up & when to shut up by Dr. Michael Sedler