The Fine Art of the Big Talk: How to Win Clients, Deliver Great Presentations, and Solve Conflicts at Work

by Debra Fine

We all know what it's like to put off an important conversation at work -- whether asking for a raise or promotion, or telling an employee that there's a problem with his or her performance. Now Debra Fine, conversation and communication guru, shows us how to come out on top of those dreaded office chats -- and how to achieve what we want in each situation. Debra includes specific advice on exactly what to say, when to say it, and what body language to use to achieve the desired results. Learn how to:
Become skilled at the art of quiet negotiation
Determine your "sales" message
Keep meetings on track and stick to an agenda
Analyze what your body language conveys (often it's not what you think!)
Overcome public-speaking fears
Offer feedback to employees and bosses alike in a constructive, productive way
Reduce conflict in the office and with customers and clients
Fire someone or deny someone an expected promotion
Inform that longtime supplier that his products haven't met with quality standards lately, and tell that major customer that her shipment is going to be late
Master e-mail and voice messaging etiquette, and make a positive impression every time
And much more.
The Fine Art of the Big Talk is the perfect book for CEOs, managers, and principals, as well as staff and administration, who want to gain techniques that result in improved work environments, increased revenues, and positive interactions in the workplace.

Genres: Business, Communication, Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Leadership, Personal Development

239 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Debra Fine is an internationally recognised speaker and trainer. As a member of the National Speakers Association she travels extensively giving lectures and conducting workshops on the topic.

Reviews

[Cristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku ini cukup bagus dan ringan untuk dibaca, karena memberikan tips tips dalam menghadapi lawan bicara, penyajian buku ini lebih berfokus kepada penyelesaian masalah saat terjadi konflik dalam rapat. Buku ini juga berisi beragam teknik dan tips yg akan membantu anda membangun keterampilan yang anda perlukan untuk terlibat dalam pembicaraan penting.

[Marie-Claude · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to read this for school. Really not my kind of stuff. I found it uninteresting.

[M Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku ini sangat relevan untuk teman-teman yang ingin melatih keterampilan berbicara. Buku ini memberi tips, mulai dari dasar-dasar, faktor yang perlu diperhatikan, mengenali lawan bicara, menguasai alur pembicaraan, menentukan waktu yang tepat untuk diskusi, hingga menerapkannya dengan alat-alat teknologi komunikasi. Buku ini juga disusun dengan bahasa yang ringkas, mudah dimengerti, dan juga mungkin relevan untuk masa depan. Dengan karakteristik penulisan yang to-the -point, menurut saya penulis berhasil menimbulkan gambaran di kepala tentang bagaimana dia menerapkannya dalam kehidupan sehari-hari.

[Nabila Azima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku ini memberikan tips praktis untuk mengatasi kecanggungan sosial, memulai percakapan, dan mempertahankannya agar tetap menarik. Buku ini juga mencakup teknik untuk mendengarkan dengan lebih baik, mengajukan pertanyaan yang relevan, dan membangun hubungan yang lebih dalam dengan orang lain, baik dalam situasi pribadi maupun profesional.
Buku ini adalah menafsirkan bahwa keterampilan berbicara dan berinteraksi secara efektif dapat dipelajari oleh siapa saja, bahkan oleh mereka yang pemalu atau introvert.

[ZOLA song · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this 4-star generously because there were some awesome nuggets in here. Two aha-moments I think I'll never forget. The way this book is written is kind of all over the place; she talks about general subjects and then breaks it down for personal, in the office, during a presentation, etc. This style sort of keeps it fresh, but also it can feel unfocused, to me. I think it's like a must read for people in an office context if they want to lead & advance.

[Hendro S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku ini sangat cocok bagi siapa pun yang ingin meningkatkan keterampilan komunikasi mereka, memperluas jaringan sosial, dan merasa lebih nyaman saat berinteraksi dengan orang lain.
Memberikan panduan praktis tentang bagaimana memulai percakapan dengan orang asing, mempertahankan pembicaraan yang menyenangkan, dan membangun hubungan yang lebih baik dengan orang lain melalui pembicaraan kecil.

[Angga Prasetyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku ini sangat cocok bagi siapa saja yang ingin meningkatkan keterampilan percakapan mereka, terutama bagi mereka yang merasa canggung atau tidak percaya diri dalam situasi sosial.
Buku ini mengajarkan keterampilan percakapan yang efektif, khususnya dalam situasi sosial dan profesional. Penulis menekankan bahwa kemampuan "small talk" (percakapan ringan) bukanlah bakat bawaan, melainkan keterampilan yang dapat dipelajari dan dilatih.

[Miftahul Rizki]

Buku ini menarik untuk di baca karena di dalamnya terdapat tips dan trik yang bisa diterapkan ketika bermomunikusi di sertai dengan contoh dan latihan yang bisa dilakukan. Hal yang di bahas di buku ini seperti cara mengendalikan pembicaraan, mengatasi rasa takut berbicara di depan umum, cara mengurangi konflik di tempat tempat kerja dan masih banyak lagi.

[Anton Nikola · Rating 5 out of 5]

a book that aims to help us develop communication skills in everyday conversation, In this book describes techniques that can be used to overcome awkwardness, and change flat conversations into more interesting interactions. This book is very interesting to read to increase insight into how to deal with the other person

[Nicole Cocuy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like she tried to cover too much in one book. It felt disorganized and spoke to too many different audiences. I wish she had broken this up into several books, and delved a little deeper into those topics.

[Dea Almira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penulis menyajikan karya yang bagus dibuku ini, mulai dari penjelasan mengenai tips cara berkomunikasi, membangun percapakan yang baik dengan lawan bicara, presentasi di depan umum, yang semua itu baik diterapkan di kehidupan sehari hari. Teknik yang ada ini bisa juga dieksplorasi lebih dan sering berlatih agar kemampuan tersebut meningkat.
Jika tiba tiba rasa kurang percaya diri menyerang kita bisa alihkan pikiran dan proyeksikan banyak energi positif ke diri kita, dengan begitu interaksi yang dibangun dan yang terjalin dengan orang orang hasilnya juga akan baik, contoh contoh case dibuku ini juga sangat informatif dan sangat bagus untuk dilakukan.

[Zefyr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fair portion of this book is targeted at people in sales, which I'm not. I've done some and read a bit on that though and don't think this goes in any particularly deep or unique direction on that. However, on the topic of interpersonal communication in a business environment I thought this was really good. It addresses a wide variety of common scenarios in the workplace where communication can get sticky, going into reasonable expectations (and unreasonable ones) and providing clear guidelines on how to steer things in the right direction (as well as pinpointing common conversational tactics that are likely to backfire). Rather than focusing on people in a specific power position - just management engaging with people under their management, or just people engaged with their managers - it presents both sides of the equation, which I felt actually provided more depth and insight. It's definitely got some sales-pitch "and you can do it too!" language but oh well; the language is readable and accessible, with good examples, and it's short yet with a broad scope. If someone's only going to read one book on stuff they should know about workplace communication, I think this would be a good book for it. If they're going to read more than one book, this might be a good refresher and still might have some unexpected insights.

[Hobie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing new here. My sense is that the author has is good at public speaking and caught a break somewhere down the line that has allowed her to speak publically as a full time job and she decided to write a book. A few helpful things but I guess I was expecting more.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned how to start that difficult conversation.

[Suzan Pecyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned the art of preparing for conversations

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight and helpful for communication

[Boo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm only on page 18 and I'm already liking where this is going!
It's got me thinking.

[hemlet kiai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contains practical advices. Good read.