Margaret’s Persuasion Coach Blog

Communication Caveat—Finger Pointing It is sometimes said that, “The best defense is a good offense.” Turning this around, what does it mean when a person goes on the offense in his communications by pointing the finger at others? He may be trying to divert attention...

Sensory overload and distraction not only cut against safe driving, as I wrote last time, but also against any kind of problem solving, including those kinds of problems I train people to solve, those that arise in connection with conflict resolution, negotiation,...

In September of, 2011, I posted my first article to this blog. Since then, I've kept my resolution to devote my blog exclusively to my areas of expertise: interpersonal communication skills, consensus building, persuasive communication, negotiation and conflict...

A recent article in Forbes magazine online[1] lists a number of cognitive biases, "universal tendencies of thought that cloud our judgment [and] create conflict." Though author Victoria Pynchon gives only a partial list, even that list is long and daunting. So if you...

Just in time for your summer reading, my book Bridges to Consensus—in Congregations is now available in Kindle format. For those of you who have not already checked out this book, and those who haven't looked at it for awhile, I'd like to tell you a little more about...

I often compare the skills I teach—whether applied to negotiation, consensus building or persuasion—to means for building bridges, rather than burning them. We can also think of these communication skills as bridges over difficulties or bridges to desired results....

Daydreams remind me of bats. Or perhaps I should say that society's view of daydreaming reminds me of society's reaction to bats. Bats creep people out. Few find them attractive, and in fact, they are pretty scary looking. People avoid them. People easily believe...

James wants to sell his motorcycle. He lists it for $1200. Bill offers him $800. They agree to a price of $1000. Is that a win-win deal? The answer depends on how well they satisfied their underlying interests. In my most recent post, I wrote about the fact that...

The negotiation classic Getting to Yes describes a system of interest-driven negotiation by way of contrast to more common “positional bargaining.” Unfortunately, positional bargaining is so common that many people believe it is the essence of negotiation itself. You...

I recently watched my DVDs of the TV miniseries Bleak House, then reread the Dickens novel. One of the minor characters—Inspector Bucket—caught my attention. Bucket demonstrates his ability to catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. More particularly, Bucket...