Meta-Talk: The Guide to Hidden Meanings in Conversations

by Gerard I. Nierenberg, Henry H. Calero

Book by Henrycalero/g nieremburg

Genres: Language, Psychology

155 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Gerard Nierenberg was the founder of the Negotiation Institute, an educational non-profit institute dedicated to advancing the art of negotiation. He published his first book, The Art of Negotiating, in 1968; the subsequent success of the book led to the creation of customized in-house workshops on the art of negotiating. Mr. Nierenberg provided seminars to entities from Fortune 500 companies to academic institutions to governmental organizations and agencies worldwide. He went on to write twenty-two books, translated into thirty-two languages, on the subjects of negotiation, communication and effective sales techniques.

As a thought leader in the field of negotiation, he was frequently called upon by the press to provide in-depth analysis of events of the day. In conjunction with his bestseller on body language How To Read a Person Like a Book, he appeared several times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He died in New York at the age of 89.

Reviews

[Carl]

Interesting read....

[Jeff]

1st Read: October 19, 1998 - October 25, 1998 (**** Rating)

As most "How-To..." books go, I will read this one again. Brilliant for its time and holds up quite well forty years later!

2nd Read: January 31, 2013 - February 10, 2013 (**** Rating)

I will keep this one for my collection. It is interesting enough for use as a reference guide.

3rd Read: November 8, 2017 - November 16, 2017 (*** Rating)

Still an interesting book after a third read. This is another which would (and does) take up precious space in my bookshelves. I've grasped the concept of the book where it is second nature to analyze in my mind what others are truly saying to me or others.

[John Fredrickson]

This book feels both dated and timeless (yes, descriptors that are at odds with each other). The authors look at hundreds of phrases in everyday use, and explore the implicit (and generally subconscious) meanings that these phrases carry. Cliché exchanges often betray more than what is stated at face-value. The phrases are considered not only from a defensive vantage-point (knowing what your associate is actually meaning while not explicitly stating), but also from the relational stance - what it means to be an earnest and direct communicator.

[Primadonna]

Read this when I was an impressionable kid... and read it many, many years later.

Some parts still ring true.