The magic of questions -- How to ask magical questions -- Managing your workload -- Satisfying bosses -- Surviving plateaus, layoffs, and firings -- Getting promotions and raises -- Dealing with difficult employees -- Working together -- Responding to ideas of others -- Selling your ideas -- Pleasing tough customers -- Resolving conflict -- Running meetings -- Attending meetings -- Negotiating -- Being interviewed for a job -- Interviewing job applicants -- Presenting on the podium -- Resolving ethical dilemmas -- Handling criticisms and complaints -- Responding to a changing world.

From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together

For those who have ever stumbled over what to say while praying or for those who want their prayers to be more effective, How to Pray When You Don't Know What to Say offers clear guidance on the importance of prayer, a vast array of ways to approach God, why some prayers are not answered, how to deal with doubts about God's ability to answer prayer, what not to do when praying, and more. In his encouraging style, Elmer Towns doesn't induce guilt about not praying; rather, he makes readers want to drop to their knees in anticipation of meeting with the God of the universe. By following Towns's lead, your prayer life will never be the same.

Phil M. Jones has trained more than two million people across five continents and over fifty countries in the lost art of spoken communication. In Exactly What to Say, he delivers the tactics you need to get more of what you want.

The phenomenon returns! Originally published in 1987, The Book of Questions, a New York Times bestseller, has been completely revised and updated to incorporate the myriad cultural shifts and hot-button issues of the past twenty-five years, making it current and even more appealing. This is a book for personal growth, a tool for deepening relationships, a lively conversation starter for the family dinner table, a fun way to pass the time in the car. It poses over 300 questions that invite people to explore the most fascinating of subjects: themselves and how they really feel about the world. The revised edition includes more than 100 all-new questions that delve into such topics as the disappearing border between man and machine—How would you react if you learned that a sad and beautiful poem that touched you deeply had been written by a computer? The challenges of being a parent—Would you completely rewrite your child’s college-application essays if it would help him get into a better school? The never-endingly interesting topic of sex—Would you be willing to give up sex for a year if you knew it would give you a much deeper sense of peace than you now have? And of course the meaning of it all—If you were handed an envelope with the date of your death inside, and you knew you could do nothing to alter your fate, would you look? The Book of Questions may be the only publication that challenges—and even changes—the way you view the world, without offering a single opinion of its own.

I just lost my job. My mom died of cancer. My best friend was in a serious accident. When a family member, friend, neighbor, or coworker is in pain, he or she needs your support—even if you’re not sure what to do. Trusted Christian counselor Norm Wright offers this easy-to-follow handbook on how to respond to others during and after crises. As part of a national team that provides grief counseling following tragedies—including recent shootings and September 11—Norm knows firsthand what works when giving comfort. Along with discovering how you can respond in difficult situations, this straightforward guide will help you: understand the confusion and emotions the person will experience decide what to say and what not to say choose what you can do immediately and long-term give encouragement during depression and grief provide biblical wisdom for helping the person cope and live on Sensitive, practical, and specific, this handy reference includes information you need to be supportive and point to God as the ultimate healer.

More Than 50 Ways to Approach God It's time to take your prayer life out of the box. Perhaps you've gotten pretty good at asking, thanking and seeking forgiveness when you pray. (Or maybe you haven't.) But did you know there are dozens of other biblical models for prayer? For example, praying without words, praying with a partner, meditating and intercessory prayer. And what about your nagging questions? Is there a right way to pray? Is God always listening? This is a breakthrough book for students, parents, pastors, new believers, long-time prayer warriors, or anyone who may be in a prayer rut or drought. There's no guilt trip here. This book will take you on a journey of discovery that will blow the doors off your prayer life. And the rest of your life will never be the same. Never be distractedor frustrated with your quiet time again. Get excited about meeting with God.

Teaches readers the right words and strategies to communicate comfort in difficult times.

We're often faced with uncomfortable situations where we're at a loss for words. A friend calls to tell you she's lost her job. A colleague's test results confirm it: he has cancer. The neighbors-who are like family-are moving. Your best friend's mother has Alzheimer's. Your spouse's father suddenly dies; she didn't get to say goodbye. Can you help? Should you help? What would be useful? What kinds of boundaries do we respect or lower? How do we pause to listen between the lines of silence to comfort someone who is afraid or in pain? Can we ask for what would comfort us when we are the one having a rough time? And are we able to receive it with grace? Healing Conversations enables us to provide or ask for a new level of support when facing life's inevitable challenges, transitions, and losses-at work, at home, and in our community. It is a practical guide to help you step into someone else's shoes so that you can offer, ask for, or receive comfort. Reflections at the end of each chapter help you think more deeply about how to incorporate the principles of healing conversations and intentional kindness into your life.