Disarming communication tactics from the bestselling author of The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense In every aspect of our lives we have to deliver or respond to negative messages at times-whether it's giving an employee a poor appraisal or disciplining a child or defending our political or religious beliefs from attack. But these simple disagreements often degenerate unnecessarily into belligerent exchanges and pointless arguments. Some say that human beings are born to argue and that language is simply another weapon of survival. Suzette Haden Elgin heartily disagrees and in this new book shows how to disarm hostile language and radically improve communication with the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense. Readers will learn a variety of proven techniques for conveying negative messages in a clear and assertive manner, but without antagonistic and destructive language. * Real-life, practical scenarios illustrate how this communication system works in any situation * Compiled from years of responses to the most commonly asked questions in the author's popular seminars SUZETTE HADEN ELGIN, PhD, (Huntsville, Arkansas) is an expert in psycholinguistics and is the founder of the Ozark Center of Language Studies. She is also the author of Genderspeak, You Can't Say That to Me, and Try to Feel It My Way (all from Wiley).