The Power of Positive Confrontation

The Skills You Need to Handle Conflicts at Work, at Home and in Life

By: Barbara Pachter, Susan Magee

Narrated by: Barbara Pachter, Susan Magee

When slighted, misunderstood, cut-in-front-of, annoyed, taken advantage of, or treated rudely, most people avoid their bosses, ignore co-workers, change hairdressers, complain to friends, shout and pound their fists. They often miss the most positive, effective alternative of all: confronting positively.

Now, for everyone who was never taught, or never realized, that between "bully" and "wimp" is a range of behavior that is positive, dignified, and effective for dealing with life's bothersome situations, there is The Power of Positive Confrontation. This practical, step-by-step guide will not only improve your ability to confront others, but will also help you to live a more conflict-free life.

©2000 Barbara Pachter & Susan Magee (P)2009 Gildan Media Corp

Very good book.

This is the type of book for everyone. It teaches you to make a dignified stand for yourself when dealing with all the rude people in the world. It does not promote confrontation, but when you have to confront someone it teaches you how to do it "the right way".

This is a book for most people - Excellent

I am not sure what other readers say when they say "no meat" to this book. Every person in business needs to read this book. She gives specific examples and how to learn to bring up concerns or confront people. Like dont use "you, never or always" "be polite and powerful" and she shows you what to do to be polite and powerful. She is exactly right! when you hold concerns or issues in and complain, it lowers yourself esteem. This has drasticly improved my ability to talk with people about issues at work and at home.

Sure there are parts that are too much and not needed. The later chapters were not as interesting. But the foundation of this book is solid and practical.

If you want to improve on confronting, getting better at bringing up simple issues and concerns, giving feedback to people or just standing up for yourself, Then this is a must read!

Wish I'd read it years ago.

I wish I'd learned this stuff as a teen--as a preteen! Refresher courses in college and after would have been nice, too. I've heard the same basic advice that Pachter and Magee give from a number of other sources, but this book goes into useful depth and detail on how to apply that advice at home, on the go, and on the job. Pachter offers up a practical course in conflict resolution that becomes assertiveness training... or vice versa? This self-help book translates well to the audio format, and its content is delivered in manageable and memorable chunks.

Mostly good

Very good information and advice. I just wish they would have paid a professional narrator to read the book.

More than just confrontation advice

I thought this book was excellent. It's narrated by the author and poorly edited, but that makes her seem more human and friendly. The confrontation advice is simple, yet that is a really good thing to be reminded of. Confronting people is a more simple process than we think. The book also has a ton of good advice on business etiquette and general business communication.

Some good info but very stale and rigid

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Eh, so so. It's always good to examine your assumptions and develop your skills but this was hard to get through.

Who was your favorite character and why?

NA This is a non-fiction instructional book.

What didn’t you like about Barbara Pachter and Susan Magee ’s performance?

The performance was so stale. I think that the one interpersonal point that she missed was that you have to be genuine. You can follow all the etiquette rules in the world but if you don't present as authentic and genuine you can't make connections with people, which is the point of this book. Their performance was a perfect example of stale, not charismatic and not genuine communication. Plus there are way too many lists. I would have preferred that the book be presented in a conversational manner.

Could you see The Power of Positive Confrontation being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Not in a million years.

Very Informational

This book was straight and to the point and very informational. It also applied realistic matters to yield advice.

Disappointing

This book focuses on the importance of "positive confrontation" for those who feel like "wimps" in a world of "bullies." Think of Stewart Smallie; "I'm good enough, and gosh darnit people like me."

If you don't consider yourself a "wimp" and you're looking for book that discusses techniques for diffusing conflict without sacrificing objectives, check out Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends & Influence People."

Overstating the Obvious

No meat to the book. Offers no tools for positive confrontation. First 5 chapters are merely the author recanting obvious situations where you have opportunities for confrontation. But doesn't actually give any solutions. Not very well recorded either. You hear the author breathing and swallowing for the entire length of the book. Save your money, keep looking.