Kirkus评论

An emphatic, dogged, assertiveness pitch--by the author of Get the Job Right Now! (1978). The English language, asserts Eisen, is spoken in two modes: powertalk and subtalk. YOU CANNOT REALLY SUCCEED AT BEING ASSERTIVE UNLESS YOU MASTER POWERTALK. (""When you want, you'll be able to dominate conversations and even relationships, take control, be a leader."") There's a self-test--to mark--for grading your Power Quotient. There are cautionary examples of subtalk: ""self-questioning tags,"" qualifiers, disclaimers. There are subtalk vocabularies--and ways to discredit opponents with subtalk words: ""he's picky"" vs. ""He pays attention to detail."" There are powertalk vocabularies too, of course: specialist jargon, buzz words. And, besides the myriad examples of powertalk stratagems in business (""Formal Structure Can Make Your Statements Sound More Important,"" ""Documentation Can Prove You're Right Even When You're Not""), there are some less harsh strictures for ""Powertalking People You Care About."" (Most appropriately, how to deal with competitive in-laws.) Exhortation, overall, to speak in ways that few would find natural, comfortable, or lastingly productive. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.