Cover; Copyright; About Don Gabor; Dedication and Acknowledgments; Contents; Introduction; PART I MASTERING THE ART OF TACT; Chapter 1: Seven Strategies for T-A-C-T-F-U-L Conversations; Chapter 2: Ten Ways to Boost Your Listening Skills; Chapter 3: Staying Calm in Difficult Conversations; Chapter 4: Become and Assertive Communicator; Chapter 5: Coping with Prickly Personalities; PART II TACTFUL TALK IN THE WORKPLACE & BUSINESS WORLD; Chapter 6: Tactful Ways to Tell Your Boss . . .; Chapter 7: Tactful Ways to Tell the People You Supervise ...;From telling a boss that a deadline is absurd to appropriately breaking off an engagement or informing a child that one of their friends is not welcome in the home, this straightforward approach illustrates how to prepare for difficult situations by developing listening and assertiveness skills and maintaining the composure to deliver tough messages tactfully. Through numerous sample scripted conversations that encompass a myriad of potentially awkward situations and hundreds of tips and skills, this handbook provides readers the confidence and the vocabulary to communicate in a respectful yet assertive manner.