A snappy book of simple conversational swaps that reveals how to talk so everyone will listen
Words matter. They can inform, soothe, sting, reverberate, and leave scars. And the wrong words can turn off--literally-- the listener, transforming what should be an exchange of information, feelings, and ideas into dead air time. So many of our dialogues with others are like scripts--we say the same things, ask the same questions, react in the same ways, and get the same (predictably bad) responses. Our verbal interactions with others often illustrate that famous...

Good negotiators know the rules. Great negotiators know when to break those rules. And then there are the true master dealmakers, like the pioneering sports lawyer Donald Dell. Over the last four decades, he has fought for some of the biggest stars in the world-Michael Jordan, Jimmy Connors, Patrick Ewing, Andy Roddick, Stan Smith, and dozens of others.

Dell is tough enough to look the general manager of the L.A. Lakers in the eye and say, "We can talk about the weather or the movies or...