Learn how to navigate the bullies, manipulators and complainers who drive you mad. With example dialogue and techniques, it will help you navigate tricky situations and keep your cool. By understanding the motives and individual behaviours of difficult people, you can learn to manage aggression, reduce awkwardness and remain the better person. This 5th edition of the bestselling Dealing with Difficult People features practical exercises, useful templates and top tips you need to get the best out of the worst, including how to deal with difficult customers, dealing with difficult people in the digital sphere, advice on beating bullies at their own game and how to deal with a boss who drives you barmy. The Creating Success series of books... Unlock vital skills, power up your performance and get ahead with the bestselling Creating Success series. Written by experts for new and aspiring managers and leaders, this million-selling collection of accessible and empowering guides will get you up to speed in no time. Packed with clever thinking, smart advice and the kind of winning techniques that really get results, you'll make fast progress, quickly reach your goals and create lasting success in your career.

A proven program for turning effective listening into a powerful business tool Managers and other employees spend more than 40 percent of their time listening to other people but often do it so poorly that the result is misunderstood instructions, misdirected projects, and erroneous actions—millions of dollars’ worth of mistakes just because most people don’t know how to listen. In this new edition of her classic guide to the art of effective listening, Madelyn Burley-Allen shows you how to acquire active, productive listening skills and put them to work for you—professionally, socially, and personally. With her time-tested techniques, you’ll learn how to:

• Eliminate distractions and improve your concentration on what is being said
• Locate key words, phrases, and ideas while listening
• Cut through your own listening biases
• Interpret body language clues
• Ask constructive, nonthreatening questions that elicit real information
• Get others to listen to you
• Master a whole range of listening skills that you can use on the job and in your personal life

Nick Morgan shows how anyone can be an effective speaker by presenting an image of authenticity and respect for their audience, whether in a group presentation or a one-on-one conversation. He presents a four-step process, perfected in his teaching at Harvard, that enables the reader to use their own personal speaking style while becoming a more persuasive and charismatic communicator and leader. The basis of this process is the fact that when words and body language are in conflict, body language wins every time. This isn't easy to overcome, because normally body language is immediate, while the words lag slightly behind, and even a momentary conflict is perceptible to the audience. The key to success is to train your body language to unconsciously align with your message.
The four steps:
* Form the attitude and intent to be open, and then let your body naturally express that intent. This feeling of openness will naturally affect the content of what you are saying, and it's that natural evolution that is at the heart of the process.
* Become connected to your audience. This creates a mutual energy, and you will naturally begin to think in terms of what the audience wants and needs in shaping your content.
* Ask yourself, what's my underlying emotion? Why does this matter to me? Becoming passionate about what you have to say naturally makes your audience care about it too.
* Really listen to the audience. Understanding their needs and reactions will enable you to direct your communication in mutually beneficial ways.

The Excellence Dividend is a critical new book from one of today's leading visionaries in business. This year's winner of the Thinkers 50 Lifetime Achievement Award and the CEO Reads Lifetime Contribution to the Business Book Industry Award, Tom Peters is one of the world's most revered management gurus and global business thinkers.

For decades, he has been preaching the gospel of putting people first, and in today's rapidly changing business environment, this message is more important than ever. Studies show that fewer than one-third of employees feel engaged with their work and that half of all jobs are at risk due to technology. But Peters has a solution: a sustained commitment to excellence combined with a commitment to people. These are, he argues, the only tools for coping with and thriving amidst the tsunami of change facing business today.

In The Excellence Dividend, Peters shows that nothing beats a high-quality product or service, designed and delivered by people who are as dedicated to each other as they are to their shared goal. With his unparalleled expertise and inimitable charisma, Peters offers brilliantly simple, actionable guidelines for success that any business leader can immediately implement.

After spending four decades in in pursuit of professional excellence, giving more than 3,000 presentations on the subject and working with companies around the world, Peters has delivered a contemporary personal excellence manual for any professional looking to make their mark and face today's business challenges.

Discover a realistic approach to communication in today's organizations with BUSINESS COMMUNICATION: IN PERSON, IN PRINT, ONLINE, 10E. You learn today's most important business communication concepts in detail and within the context of how communication happens in organizations today. Company examples and situations demonstrate how principles work in the real business world. In addition to refining core written and oral communication skills, you learn to navigate complex relationships and use current, sophisticated technologies. You master the skills to create PowerPoint (R) decks, manage your online reputation with LinkedIn and other tools, engage customers using social media, lead web meetings and conference calls, and more. With self-reflection questions throughout the book, you develop a deeper understanding of yourself and how to communicate most effectively to reach your personal and professional goals.

Emotional Intelligence is a complete guidebook to help you leverage your EQ for greater professional and personal success.

Research now shows that people with higher levels of emotional intelligence generally have:

• Greater job satisfaction
• A better chance of getting promoted
• A bigger salary
• A higher standard of living
• Fewer family conflicts
• A stronger immune system
• A lower chance of developing cardiovascular disorders, and
• A more fulfilled life!

Written especially for the South African workplace, this newly updated edition will show you to improve and develop your emotional intelligence by focusing on these aspects of EQ:

• Self-awareness
• Self- regard
• Assertiveness
• Empathy
• Interpersonal relations
• Problem- solving
• Impulse control
• Stress tolerance
• Flexibility
• Optimism
• And more!

Throughout the book, you will find practical tips, exercises, and case studies to help you develop your emotional intelligence. Now is your chance to open the door to a better life!

Annette Prins a senior counselling psychologist, involves herself with developing human capital. As CEO and co-owner of the company Talent and Wellness Management, she developed and presented an array of workshops in the people skills arena, for the corporate and tertiary sectors. She specialises in stress management, anxiety and mood disorders and trauma counselling.

Eugene van Niekerk has taught psychology at both under-graduate and post-graduate level. His academic background is also complimented by work as psychotherapist and corporate consultant. Eugene’s interests include, amongst others: emotional intelligence; mind-body medicine; mental health in an information society; how affective neuroscience is able to improve individual and organisational performance.

As consultant Annette Weyers has been part of the wellness industry for fifteen years. She was co-founder of the Centre for Talent and Wellness Management an organisation that offered professional services to develop human talent and promote wellness. Services to employees included support and interventions through counseling, coaching, inspirational talks and workshops. "

This book represents the definitive research collection for corporate social responsibility communication, offering cross-disciplinary and international perspectives from the top scholars in the field. * Addresses a gap in the existing CSR literature * Demonstrates the relevance of effective CSR communication for the management of organizations * The 28 contributions come from top scholars in public relations, organizational communication, reputation management, marketing and management

Networking master and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Ivan Misner along with David Alexander, and Brian Hilliard teach entrepreneurs how to master the art of networking. Introducing an exclusive results-measuring system; the Network Scorecard; this powerful guide motivates entrepreneurs to reach quality prospects, leverage new and current contacts, prompt ongoing referrals and ultimately, boost their client base and their bottom line. With this powerful guide, eager entrepreneurs uncover undeniably effective networking techniques for building, reviving, and growing their business. Following the action plans provided, entrepreneurs learn key networking strategies including how to build their social capital, farm (not hunt) relationships and referrals, leverage the four major; of their networking driver, track the results of their efforts, and more. Entrepreneurs also discover how to enhance their networking efforts with new media tools, helping them reach new levels of referrals, free promotion, and connection with their clients.

Reputation management techniques that work amidst the unceasing flow of information Reputation Strategy and Analytics in a Hyper-Connected World is a complete guide to corporate communications and reputation management. Covering a range of scenarios from ideal to catastrophic, this book provides a clear blueprint for preparation, execution, and beyond. The discussion focuses on data-driven, evidence-based strategies for the modern digital economy, providing actionable frameworks, practical roadmaps, and step-by-step blueprints for deploying advance analytics, predictive modeling, and big data techniques to successfully manage communications and reputation. You'll learn how the right tools and people get the job done quickly, effectively, and cost-effectively, and how to identify and acquire the ones you need. Coverage includes the latest technology and cutting-edge applications, bringing you up to speed on what excellence in communications can realistically be. We live in an age of interconnectedness and transparency, and information travels at the speed of light to reach nearly every corner of the globe. This book shows you the key strategies and operational tactics required to respond successfully to financially damaging assaults on your company's reputation. * Execute world-class corporate communications * Prepare for best- and worst-possible case scenarios * Manage organizational reputation in the digital economy * Pick the right team and the right tools to get the job done Stories, rumors, lies there is no safe haven. Big data, cloud, and mobile technologies are fueling a perfect storm of immense proportions, overwhelming the capabilities of organizations and individuals attempting to manage their brands and reputations when hit with damaging information or harmful stories. Reputation Strategy and Analytics in a Hyper-Connected World shows you navigate the never-ending information stream to keep your company out of the undertow.

Foreword by Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ali "A comprehensive masterpiece. . . . Throughout the course of my life, I have struggled to be heard. With Denise's insightful tutelage and easy-to-apply techniques, I have not only managed to find my voice, but to powerfully express myself so others listen! If you want to feel inspired and completely empowered give yourself the gift of this beautiful read!"-Halle Berry, Academy Award-winning actor An internationally renowned and highly sought-after Hollywood voice coach shares proven practices to help anyone utilize the often-untapped power of their own authentic voice. From a toddler's first words to professional public speaking, from a marriage proposal to asking for a raise, our voice is our most crucial instrument of expression. The world judges us by our voice. And yet there has been no authoritative guide to mastering its full capacity and expressing our true selves in every aspect of life, from relationships and family to work. Until now. As one of the nation's most sought-after vocal coaches, Denise Woods has worked with everyone from Mahershala Ali, Will Smith, and Idris Elba to Kirsten Dunst and Jessica Chastain. In The Power of Voice, for the first time ever, Woods shares the secrets, tips, lessons, and stories that have helped Hollywood's biggest stars become confident, effective communicators. Readers will learn how to: Articulate clearly Gain confidence in any situation Release tension and stress Address speech issues such as upspeak, vocal fry, and nasality Become powerful public speakers Find their truest form of expression With her unmatched ability to teach vocal mastery in real-world terms, Woods offers a much-needed, proven, practical, and invaluable set of tools that will forever change how we communicate and, ultimately, how we see ourselves and affect others.

Turning you into an effective communicator across all media types, Means' BUSINESS COMMUNICATION, 3rd edition, equips you with the communication tools you need to succeed in today's workplace. Its engaging, contemporary design offers clear, easy-to-follow instructions that guide you to more effective writing, listening, speaking, computing and research skills while using the latest technology tools. With an emphasis on English grammar and writing mechanics, the unique Writing Styles feature helps you build powerful writing skills and effectively maintain reader interest. Ethics and cross-cultural issues integrated throughout help you develop decision-making skills that will serve you well throughout your career. The book also offers the most current coverage available on smart phones, the Cloud, document sharing, VOIPs, webinars, enhanced security measures and much more.

The corporation is the most complex, adaptive, and resilient model of organizing economic activity in history. In an era of globalization, the transnational corporation has significant power over society. While its rights are specified through private ordering, and choice of jurisdictional home, in the event of conflict of laws, the corporation's duties and responsibilities remain contested. Notwithstanding the argument in institutional economics that all transactions take place within governance and legal frameworks, underpinned by a 'non-calculative social contract,' the terms are notoriously difficult to define or enforce. They are made more so if regulatory dynamics preclude litigation to a judicial conclusion. This Element situates the corporation - its culture, governance, responsibility, and accountability - within a broader discourse of duty. In doing so, it addresses the problem of the corporation for society and the corporation's problem in aligning its governance to changing community expectations of obligation.

Performance management systems have become too time-consuming and cumbersome – the time is right for a reboot.

This guide will show you how to revisit your performance management strategies – use simpler tools, move towards developmental discussions, and remove or reduce ‘forced’ rankings. This handbook serves as a practical and convenient guide to managing performance in an uncertain, turbulent, world where companies must adapt.

This book is guaranteed to be different from other performance management titles you’ve read, because it’s:

• Based on years of personal experience in implementing hundreds of performance management systems in companies.
• Written by contributors who have actually done and experienced what they are writing about.
• Practical and, for once, tells you how to do it, with no missing steps or information. There are tool kits, forms and check lists that can be used instantly.
• Written in plain English with no bamboozling jargon, with many practical examples and templates that you can amend to suit your needs.
• Underpinned by empirical research.

After reading Performance Management Reboot you will be able to design, implement and use a performance management system that is perceived as fair by all stakeholders and which stimulates better performance.

A value proposition is created from the combination of a company's products and services, and the value gained by the customer. It is used to drive better business, and is essential to success for any business - without it, companies are at risk of losing customers and being drowned out in crowded marketplaces. Selling Your Value Proposition is a practical, user-friendly guide to establishing a streamlined customer-centric selling process to communicate and express value propositions, enabling companies to convey their value-creating stories to customers consistently. Featuring case studies and interviews with renowned business leaders and influencers, Selling Your Value Proposition demonstrates how value propositions adeptly position a business across a range of industries. The techniques and skills shared have all been honed through the authors' experience with more than 600 companies around the world, and clear, step-by-step guidelines will empower all readers to effectively focus their value propositions for competitive success.

Learn how to influence others and get your own way more often Wouldn't it be great if you could get the pay rise you've asked for, win the business you've pitched for or get that job you so desperately want? Well, with this book you can learn how to get inside the head of the person making the decision and find out exactly what is it that's going to get them to say yes! Persuade explains the seven psychological drivers that motivate us all. By understanding these drivers and the impact they have on our own lives, we can gain valuable insights into how we can motivate ourselves, improve our relationships, negotiate more effectively, get people to like us and ultimately get our own way more often. Persuade: * Is written in Philip's trademark humorous, yet well-researched style * Draws from scientific and psychological sources * Is delivered in short, accessible, bite-sized chapters

Meetings are an inevitable and often unwelcome aspect of the working day. They figure heavily in all walks of life and create a forum for providing information, holding discussions, and making decisions. If they are run well they are a really valuable tool in running your organisation and progressing projects. If run badly they can seem like no more than a time-wasting irritant to the participants. Whether you hold meetings in your office or attend international summits, the meeting is a place where certain etiquette is essential. How to run a meeting, behave in a meeting, construct minutes, and Chair meetings are all essential skills for anyone wishing to move projects forward, forge a career in business or even run their own business. So, even if you are only a participant in frequent meetings this book will show you how to get the most out of them and ensure that they are a building block of success. From issuing invitations to taking the minutes, or even chairing a meeting, everything is covered.

"Anyone who comes to pitch on Shark Tank should read this book first!" --Barbara Corcoran, ABC's Shark Tank "I have seen literally thousands of companies trying to raise capital and know that a great pitch deck is critical. This book gives you the playbook for creating yours." --Naval Ravikant, cofounder and CEO, AngelList "I raised twice the amount of money I set out to in a mere five weeks. I'm naming my firstborn child after the Evans." --Slava Menn, cofounder and CEO, Fortified Bicycle HOW DO YOU LAUNCH THE VENTURE OF YOUR DREAMS? Get Backed isn't just about startup fundraising. It's a handbook for anyone who has an idea and needs to build relationships to get it off the ground. Over the last 3 years, entrepreneurs Evan Loomis and Evan Baehr have raised $45 million for their own ventures, including the second largest round on the fundraising platform AngelList. In Get Backed, they show you exactly what they and dozens of others did to raise money--even the mistakes they made--while sharing the secrets of the world's best storytellers, fundraisers, and startup accelerators. They'll also teach you how to use "the friendship loop", a step-by-step process that can be used to initiate and build relationships with anyone, from investors to potential cofounders. And, most of all, they'll help you create a pitch deck, building on the real-life examples of 15 ventures that have raised over $150 million. What's in the book? * The original pitch decks and fundraising strategies of 15 ventures that raised over $150 million * Email scripts that will get you a meeting with angel investors, venture capitalists, and potential board members * Pitching exercises developed by startup talent beds like Stanford University's d.school and Techstars * A breakdown of the 10 essential pitch deck slides, how to create them, and what questions you should answer with each * An overview of the 5 main funding sources for startups, the pros and cons of each, and who the big players are * A crash-course in visual and presentation design that will make any deck beautiful * Templates for 4 stories every entrepreneur should know how to tell * The story of one entrepreneur who showed up in Silicon Valley with no network and six months later had investments from Fred Anderson, Bono, and Peter Thiel Get Backed will show you exactly what it takes to get funded and will give you the tools to make any idea a reality.

Professional Networking For Dummies explaine the essential techniques of networking to get you meeting and greeting in no time. This is the book to help you get into the networking mindset and avoid such self-defeating traps as expecting immediate returns or turning off new potential colleagues. The content includes information on making small talk, discovering where to meet new contacts, overcoming inhibitions and shyness, and getting into lifelong, career-building networking habits. Plus, you'll find special information on networking tools and technology, such as networking clubs, using voice and e-mail, Internet networking, and more.

This book is designed for foreign-born professionals working in the U.S. who already possess good English skills, and yet are not polished communicators in a U.S. business environment. We provide practical advice - with student and client anecdotes interspersed throughout the text - and help foreign-born professionals change their communications skills and style to become more effective in typical business situations such as: managing meetings, understanding U.S. negotiation tactics, writing effective e-mails, delivering U.S.-style presentations, using Power English to stand out as a leader, and other communication areas such as how to reduce accents that interfere in business transactions.

As a result of reading this book, the readers will be able to fit in better into the American corporate culture; they will gain a better understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses in business communications in an American environment, where most foreigners feel a need for honest feed-back but never receive it.

They will be able to understand why, despite their good English, they are frequently misunderstood and can't get the results they want, and they will learn strategies to become better communicators in typical business situations, such as meetings, presentations, conference calls, job interviews, etc. The readers will enjoy a variety of practical, actionable advice they can use immediately.

Written in simple, accessible English, the book will function as a how-to guide for any foreign-born managers faced with the challenge of getting their U.S. audience on board; the light-hearted style, with lots of anecdotes and real-life experiences, will make for an enjoyable, captivating reading. Each chapter will have boxes and illustrations providing examples of typical pitfalls for foreigners in specific situations, with a short list of do's and don'ts for foreigners (e.g., do's and don'ts in meetings, on e-mail, etc.)s

In this fully updated Fifth Edition, three of today's most respected crisis/risk communication scholars provide the latest theory, practice, and innovative approaches for handling crisis. This acclaimed book presents the discourse of renewal as a theory to manage crises effectively. The book provides in-depth case studies that highlight successes and failures in dealing with core issues of crisis leadership, managing uncertainty, communicating effectively, understanding risk, promoting communication ethics, enabling organizational learning, and producing renewing responses to crisis. Unlike other crisis communication texts, this book answers the question, "What now?" and explains how organizations can and should emerge from crisis. Authors Robert R. Ulmer, Timothy L. Sellnow, and Matthew W. Seeger provide guidelines for taking the many challenges that crises present and turning those challenges into opportunities for overcoming a crisis.

The guide that proves your meetings don't have to suck

There's a big dull elephant in the boardroom: this meeting Most of the millions of meetings held in the world today are a monumental waste of time and talent. Worse still, most of the so-called solutions and books for boring meetings are twice as boring.

Boring Meetings Suck provides tips and tactics to deliver "Get-In, Get-It-Done, or Get-Out" style meetings, while also tackling what most prefer to avoid; that you don't have to BE in charge of a meeting to TAKE charge of a meeting. This entertaining and take-no-prisoners guide is full of easily deployed SRDs?Suckification Reduction Devices?that will help you make your next meeting both efficient and effective. Empowers attendees to politely speak up and get a meeting back on track, or graciously get out, without being firedShows how hosts can capitalize on technology, learning to crowd-source problems and increase participationDefines surefire methods to get meetings to start and end on time and not have the speaker read the slidesSTOPS over-invitation syndromeThe author has appeared before many major corporate clients, and was named a "Top Business Professional Under 40" by American City Business Journals

Your meetings do not have to bore, nor must they suck. Instead, get the winning techniques in Boring Meetings Suck, and make your meetings awesome in their engagement and productivity, or stop having them

An innovative simulation-based approach for strategic decision making when launching new products Growth Dynamics in New Markets contains a dynamic case study and simulations that reveal what it takes to successfully introduce a product into a new market. Written by experts in the field, the text and companion website include a compelling simulation game and a variety of simulation models. Using the simulation game and computer models, readers are challenged to design and put in place a strategy about product introduction and competitive behavior. The simulation models build on each other to help to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of product uptake as well as market development and competitive dynamics. The authors present different approaches for enhancing the models and offer guidance for applying them to real-world problems. This groundbreaking text clearly shows how to develop maps of dynamic systems, formulate candidate policies and evaluate them based on the simulations. It also reveals how to use computer simulations to understand what decisions could and should be made, when to make them and how intensive they should be. The authors present an interactive approach that: Contains an innovative combination of a case study, simulation game and simulation models for developing the skills to introduce a product to the marketplace Offers targeted questions that help to enhance the understanding of the material presented Presents detailed answers and solutions to a number or real-world business challenges Features video tutorials that explain how the simulation experiments are implemented and interpreted Aids in the development an action-oriented, pragmatic understanding of the underlying forces in business Designed for students of business administration, management, industrial engineering, informatics, engineering, and public policy, Growth Dynamics in New Markets offers an innovative approach that combines the practice of dynamic reasoning and the use of simulation to design and test possible policies.

Is Silence Killing Your Strategy? In his thirty years of working in corporations, Harvard Business School professor Michael Beer has witnessed firsthand how organizational silence derails strategic objectives. When employees can't speak truth to power, senior leaders don't hear what they need to hear about their company's fitness to compete, and employees lose trust in those leaders and become less committed to change. In Fit to Compete, Beer presents an antidote to silence--principles and a time-tested innovative process for holding honest conversations with everyone in your organization. Used by over eight hundred organizations across the globe, the strategic fitness process has helped leaders in a diverse range of industries--including medical technology, information technology, banking, restaurant chains, and pharmaceuticals--hear the raw but necessary truth about the sources of misalignment between their strategies and their organizations. In addition to step-by-step instructions, Beer offers detailed and illustrative case studies of companies that have conducted honest conversations to great effect. He also shows how to apply the process more broadly to a variety of strategic challenges and at multiple levels throughout the organization. Practical, enlightening, and comprehensive, Fit to Compete is the book you should turn to if you to want create winning strategies that your entire company will rally behind.

Networking is a skill that many people recognize as critically important, but which many find difficult, boring or fear-inducing - or even all three. Yet if you master the techniques that really work, networking can pay dividends. Effective networking means tapping into a team of like-minded business people willing to help each other achieve their goals. If you build, grow and nurture your business networks, you will become known for your expertise and will be better placed to win the new client, business or job when it really matters. You can network successfully in person or online and The Complete Guide to Professional Networking shows you how to use both together for the most powerful results.The techniques and suggested strategies in this book are backed up by video interviews with some of the world's most successful networking experts.