Lifescripts, 3rd Edition

INTRODUCTION

To get what you want in life's toughest dialogues you need to plan exactly what to say: You need to develop a lifescript. No one, no matter how eloquent or quick witted, can possibly be ready to instinctively deal with every difficult conversation that comes up in today's workplace. And the consequences of saying the wrong thing, even unintentionally, get more serious with every passing year. Poorly chosen words may not just mean you don't get what you want; they could put your career or company in danger.

The 109 lifescripts in this book have been chosen to address the most common problematic dialogues in today's workplace. Each lifescript begins with a general discussion of the strategy you should use in the dialogue, touching on the general outlines of how the conversation should go. Next will be descriptions of the attitude you should project, timing you should follow, and behavior you should exhibit to get what you want from the dialogue. Turn the page and you'll find a flowchart, which offers a plan for how the conversation should proceed, including an icebreaker if you'll be starting the dialogue. You'll find potential pitches and responses to every likely statement or question by the other person. You can use the exact words in the script, or you can adjust them to fit your own speaking style. After the script you'll find potential adaptations of the lifescript for other situations and a simple list of key points that can serve as a crib sheet for right ...