Comebacks at Work: Mastering Confrontation and Taking Control of How People Treat You

The workplace guide to putting "I wish I'd said" moments in the past. Ever wish that you could have a "do over" after a conversation at work? Do you often find yourself regretting what you've said to a coworker or kicking yourself for not saying something better, stronger, or more precise? If so, you're like most people, and in Comebacks at Work, management professor and consultant Kathleen Kelley Reardon, PhD, provides the tips and tools you need to know what to say and how to say it better next time. In this compelling and entertaining book, Reardon argues that we are responsible for 75 percent of how we re treated at work, and our success or failure at doing so depends largely on how we handle ourselves in conversation with our colleagues. To break free of the stale scripts and expected actions that allow politically astute people to manipulate us, we must increase our conversational awareness and effectively employ what Reardon calls "comebacks." Comebacks at Work provides a game plan for doing so and explains: Why some comebacks work, while others fall flat; Why our minds go blank when confronted, and how to overcome that response; How to determine which comebacks work for you, and when to use them. While many situations are common, however, one set of comebacks isn t enough. Every conversation is different, and by the end of the book, readers now armed with a personalized repertoire of comebacks, a plan for strategically using them, and the skills needed to package them for maximum effect will be prepared for any difficult conversation that comes their way.