Avg. Customer Rating:(based on 40 reviews) Sales Rank: 9978 Category: Book
Author:Robert Bolton Publisher:Touchstone Studio:Touchstone Manufacturer:Touchstone Label:Touchstone Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published) Media: Paperback Number Of Items: 1 Pages: 324 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6 Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.5 x 0.8
A wall of silent resentment shuts you off from someone you love....You listen to an argument in which neither party seems to hear the other....Your mind drifts to other matters when people talk to you....
People Skills is a communication-skills handbook that can help you eliminate these and other communication problems. Author Robert Bolton describes the twelve most common communication barriers, showing how these "roadblocks" damage relationships by increasing defensiveness, aggressiveness, or dependency. He explains how to acquire the ability to listen, assert yourself, resolve conflicts, and work out problems with others. These are skills that will help you communicate calmly, even in stressful emotionally charged situations.
People Skills will show you * How to get your needs met using simple assertion techniques * How body language often speaks louder than words * How to use silence as a valuable communication tool * How to de-escalate family disputes, lovers' quarrels, and other heated arguments
Both thought-provoking and practical, People Skills is filled with workable ideas that you can use to improve your communication in meaningful ways, every day.
Great people skills book February 23, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Although "People Skills" was first published in 1986, I feel obliged to review it as the principles and lessons espoused by Robert Bolton are timeless. In fact it is probably one of the most used books in my collection (I even have the paperback version covered in plastic and it's never far from my desk).
"People Skills" is not a book that one sits down and reads from cover to cover. It's a book where you might read a chapter that relates to one of your underused skills (such as assertion) for your own development, or when you are faced with a difficult situation (such as managing a critical conflict). "People Skills" covers all the essential communication skills such as reflective listening, assertion and conflict management. Not only does Bolton provide the theory behind these skills, but he also gives short scenarios and great practical examples of how each can be applied.
Described by the publisher as a "communication skills handbook", "People Skills" should be essential reading for every manager. In fact it should be the standard text for all "Management 101" courses and would add tremendously to the skill set of our younger generation by being used as a standard high school text. Don't be put off by this textbook description as it is highly readable and a must for all practising managers. Make sure you have a copy to refer to when next you are faced with that difficult "people" issue.
Bob Selden What To Do When You Become The Boss: How new managers become successful managers
A Personal Critique of Robert Bolton's "People Skills" January 28, 2008 The book People Skills by Dr. Robert Bolton was a tremendous asset to my reading list a few years ago. At first, the book felt like a tedious assignment, work that had to be done in order to pass a class. What I found out about myself when reading the book, however, was just how people-oriented I am not in my listening and communicating abilities. Dr. Bolton's book has had a vast impact on my personal. This critique will show just how much of an affect the book has had on me.
Many examples could be given for how this book has influenced me personally. There were times when I was reading and saw examples that the author used which could have been taken directly from my life. Chapter two, "Barriers in Communication," was a part of the book that really hit home with me. I found myself looking over the words and seeing how I put up those very same walls around my own communication with others. It seems that everyone has issues in communication at times, but I realized that somehow I have trouble with "judging, sending solutions, and avoiding the other's concerns" (p. 17) quite often. The solutions to these problems the author gives are greatly appreciated on my end. Dr. Bolton gave practical instructions for help in the area. One way to learn how to deal with this issue was just to read a book on the topic of barriers itself. Having done that, the reader then beings to explore what changes he or she can make in order to adequately communicate with others.
Another area in which the author wrote that I found helpful was the issue of active listening. Due to my undergraduate work in counseling and psychology, I have a good working knowledge of the subject matter. People Skills affirmed some of the techniques I am already familiar with, as well as gave me some new pointers for knowing how to listen actively. It was through these areas that the book greatly assisted me in being able to see just how well I communicate in my personal life.
Dr. Bolton's book People Skills is a great work on the topic of interpersonal skills. As much as humans interrelate with each other, it would seem like people are pretty good at being able to convey feelings. On the contrary, it is not so, and thus the need for a book of this caliber. This book is highly recommended because of the way the author deals with the issues and does not shy away from telling people the best way to relearn how to communicate with others.
People Skills should serve as a text for every class on the subject of interpersonal relationship skills. Anyone who wishes to learn more about the communication process would greatly benefit from having this book as a requirement. The book is an advantageous feat; one will profit much knowledge from reading the text. One of book's many strengths is that it is very readable and relatable. In my own life, I learned a lot about myself just by studying what the author says. If there are any weaknesses to the book, it is that there are points when the author writes with such detail that he looses the reader in the many examples he gives. Other than that, this book is fantastic and has greatly assisted me in my personal and ministerial life.
Excellent book that will have you "listening" in no time January 21, 2008 While I purchased this book as a required reading material for my Master's program, I find that I have now recommended it to about five other people (outside of school) in the last two weeks. "People Skills" is an excellent resource for re-learning how to communicate effectively and how to invoke communication in those around you. After reading the first two chapters, I found myself unable to respond to other's comments for fear that I would fall into the "traps" of communication. But, as I proceeded through the remaining pages, I quickly learned valuable tips that have provoked continual review of my own communication tactics. Oddly enough, I'm now continually engulfed in conversations with my 14 year old son who sometimes I can't "turn him off" so that I can continue to study....I wouldn't trade these conversations for all of the "A" grades in the world!!!
Great for Personal & Professional Communication Skills May 18, 2007 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This communication skills handbook is a good one to add to your library. Sometimes people need to be refreshed on old skills, especially if one does not attend any type of annual conferences or seminars to rejuvenate and motivate one's performance. Noted content topics include: (1)Skills for Bridging the Interpersonal Gap (2)Barriers to Communication (3)Listening Skills (4)Reflective Listening (5)Reflective Responses (6)Reading Body Language (7)Assertive Skills (8)Conflict Management Skills and (9)Collaborative Problem Solving.
People skills are necessary for all areas of life (familial, workplace, social, and religious). This is a great book for Managers to invest in and provide copies to Administrative Professionals, etc. in the organization. Teachers this is a great book to have on your shelf of books to share with the eager and hungry readers. Also a great gift for teens or college bound students.
People Skills:How to AsertYourself. Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicks February 8, 2007 This is an very detailed people skills guide on how to be sucessful in today's complex world. I found it a very high caliber read about communication.
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