Describes how to develop the ability to have in-person conversations, offering practical advice on balancing real-world and online relationships and gaining confidence to speak up in personal, educational, and professional atmospheres.

"A New York Times bestselling writer explores what our unique sonic signature reveals about our species, our culture, and each one of us. Finally, a vital topic that has never had its own book gets its due"--

To move forward and see positive results, simple techniques can be used to focus on the possibilities of the future, and then make those possibilities realities by turning them into concrete actions. A series of vignettes illustrate how to: break free of conversational patterns that stall progress, consciously choose and create desired outcomes, turn even difficult circumstances into opportunities, and dramatically increase change by tapping into...

"A linguistic exploration of the speech habits we love to hate-and why our "um"s, "like"s, and "you know"s actually make us better communicators. Do you hate that you say "like" too much? Do you go over your email drafts to remove excess "so"s and "really"s? Do you wish your presentation at work wasn't so full of "um"s and "uh"s? Do you get tripped up by slang, overly familiar greetings, or new pronouns? What if these features of our speech weren't...