Water Off a Duck's Back: How to Deal With Frustrating Situations, Awkward, Exasperating or Manipulative People, and Keep Smiling

by Jon Lavelle

Win more arguments Deal with irritating, awkward and exasperating people. Take greater control over how you think about situations and events - explore psychological strategies and secrets known only by a tiny minority. Respond to people and circumstances that leave you laughing with tears, not crying! Spot people who manipulate, use verbal tricks or play 'mind games', and respond professionally and potently to neutralise or reverse their impact. Deal decisively with people who exaggerate, make unfair judgements or dubious connections, distort facts, spread rumours, or twist things to suit their own ends. Build strong, unshakeable confidence in your ability to deal with anything that people and life throw at you. Develop mental mastery and peak psychological fitness Be happier - knowing you're in control

Genres: Personal Development

306 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 2011

About the author

• MBA – Warwick Business School
• Diploma in Communications – Warwick Business School
• BSC (Hons)
• Fellow – Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development
• NLP Master Practitioner

Reviews

[Clare Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is packed with great advice on how to deal with difficult people and situations in all wakes of life. It will give you great tools to solve problems and issues whether in your personal life or in the working environment. The author is engaging and funny and covers a wide range of scenarios that really we all encounter in our daily lives. This book delivered exactly what it promised. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

[Sydne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mmmhh, I think I learned more in a 30 minute e-learning course on customer care than in this book. I'm also not keen on following someone's advice that states "looking out for number 1" and not wanting to help you to be a "nice guy", puts Margaret Thatcher on a pedestal and suggests if the left turn lane is full, to take the empty right turn lane and go round the full roundabout once. Admittedly, I often do that, but I don't need someone to tell me that in a book that is trying to improve me...

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very useful book, full of great advice and information. I found it when I really needed help getting through some difficult social situations that had me so frustrated I was ready to scream. A lot of the ideas fit in with meditation practice - which on its own is great for helping you find your 'zen zone' but leaves you without a clue about how to respond to, or confront, those 'hooks' that meditation practice works so hard to teach you to not to bite. So great, you're not biting the hook anymore, but what are you doing? Jon Lavelle's book gives you plenty of practical ideas about easy things that you can do to get over otherwise insurmountable obstacles!

The fifth star, that this book doesn't get, is because Lavelle's conversational style can meander a bit at times, so there were parts where I wished he would cut the chat and get to his point. But when he does get to his point, it makes the wait worthwhile.

[Sally George · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, helpful and easy to read. Concise, to the point with lots of humour - especially how to deal with unwanted telephone sales. Lots of examples and the author does not set out to win and make other people feel bad. I liked the idea of questioning everything and stating the bare facts and leaving emotions out. I recognised that I already put a lot of the advice into place and the book clarified how this worked. A book I shall keep and perhaps read through again using a highlighter pen.

[Georgina Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concepts and lots of good, solid practical advice. High level of typos, though, which did distract at times. Would have liked more solid tips for dealing with "dementor" types other than avoid!

[Brigitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really interesting to read and I've already started putting some of the tips in action.

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor stuff. Nothing new and little interesting. The author's attempt to pepper it up with the odd dirty joke does not help.