The Power of Ethical Persuasion: Winning Through Understanding at Work and at Home - Softcover

TOM RUSK, MD, is the author of three previous self-help books: I Want to Change But I Don't Know How, Mind Traps, and Instead of Therapy.

"Helping people communicate to each other what it feels like to live in their separate, private worlds of experience" is the goal of ethical persuasion, a problem-solving strategy devised by psychiatrist Rusk (with Miller, the coauthor of Instead of Therapy ). According to this approach, a person should not try to "win" an argument but to treat an adversary with respect, understanding, caring and fairness. The authors first describe how communication breaks down during stressful negotiations, whether personal or professional, and claim that in such situations "feelings are facts." In order to work with, not against, these feelings, the authors suggest exploring the other person's point of view and clearly explaining one's own before seeking resolution. Scripted encounters in work and family settings demonstrate the technique at work. Commonsensical and relatively jargon-free.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.