What do you think?
Rate this book
Man Talk: The Gay Couple's Communication Guide
Learn to recognize and resolve communication problems common to gay male relationships
Man Talk presents effective techniques to help gay couples communicate better on the way to enjoying a fulfilling relationship. This practical guide from the author of Affirmative Gay Relationships examines common problems that create communication difficulties and offers straightforward, easy-to-use strategies for understanding feelings, resolving arguments, expressing anger, understanding nonverbal communication, improving listening skills, expressing love and appreciation, and dealing with issues specific to interracial and intercultural relationships.
Man Talk explores areas very well known to gay men, such as competition, the need to win arguments, and uncertainty about how to handle anger. Written by a licensed clinical social worker, this unique book avoids clinical jargon in presenting the thoughts of gay men in multiple, detailed vignettes that illustrate effectiveand ineffectivecommunication. This practical guide provides proven methods of avoiding communication destroyers, hidden agendas, the need to be right, and disagreements that become courtroom battles, and offers effective ways of saying what you really mean, listening to your partner, dealing with uncomfortable subjects (like sex and money), and recognizing that there are many levels of communication (body movement, silence, voice inflection, etc.) that will significantly impact the quality of interaction between two men.
Topics examined in Man Talk Man Talk is a must-read for all gay men interested in relationshipspast, present, and future. It’s also an essential professional guide for therapists who work with gay men and for concerned friends of gay men who want to help.
Man Talk presents effective techniques to help gay couples communicate better on the way to enjoying a fulfilling relationship. This practical guide from the author of Affirmative Gay Relationships examines common problems that create communication difficulties and offers straightforward, easy-to-use strategies for understanding feelings, resolving arguments, expressing anger, understanding nonverbal communication, improving listening skills, expressing love and appreciation, and dealing with issues specific to interracial and intercultural relationships.
Man Talk explores areas very well known to gay men, such as competition, the need to win arguments, and uncertainty about how to handle anger. Written by a licensed clinical social worker, this unique book avoids clinical jargon in presenting the thoughts of gay men in multiple, detailed vignettes that illustrate effectiveand ineffectivecommunication. This practical guide provides proven methods of avoiding communication destroyers, hidden agendas, the need to be right, and disagreements that become courtroom battles, and offers effective ways of saying what you really mean, listening to your partner, dealing with uncomfortable subjects (like sex and money), and recognizing that there are many levels of communication (body movement, silence, voice inflection, etc.) that will significantly impact the quality of interaction between two men.
Topics examined in Man Talk Man Talk is a must-read for all gay men interested in relationshipspast, present, and future. It’s also an essential professional guide for therapists who work with gay men and for concerned friends of gay men who want to help.
200 pages, Paperback
First published March 14, 2007
2 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 3, 2014
Reading this reminded me of all the important things necessary in any loving relationship. Sometimes we go off-course in life, unintentionally. We might need something to steer us in the right direction. This book did that for me and more.
Communication is important for any relationships, but especially in an intimate one. Being able to listen attentively is not easy but necessary. Refraining from yelling might help. You can be angry, sad, or hurt ... as long as you own your feelings and communicate honestly with your partner. Make peace with your feelings. Talk about things that are uncomfortable.
Favorite part of the book was the final few paragraphs -
"True love is about caring for some like no other. It's about showing up and being there in the wonderful and horrible times. It's about being a special part of another person's life. It's about keeping the cherished feelings alive when only one of you remains.
True love. We can make fun of it. We can be angry and bitter and deny its existence. But if you've experienced it, you know there's nothing more glorious.
We don't have all of the answers to this sacred mystery, but we do know this" communication is vital to nurturing love. Love must be nurtured or it dies.
If you've found your soul mate you're privileged. Embrace and cherish this sweet, extraordinary moment. Soon enough, way too soon enough, these will be the good old days."
Communication is important for any relationships, but especially in an intimate one. Being able to listen attentively is not easy but necessary. Refraining from yelling might help. You can be angry, sad, or hurt ... as long as you own your feelings and communicate honestly with your partner. Make peace with your feelings. Talk about things that are uncomfortable.
Favorite part of the book was the final few paragraphs -
"True love is about caring for some like no other. It's about showing up and being there in the wonderful and horrible times. It's about being a special part of another person's life. It's about keeping the cherished feelings alive when only one of you remains.
True love. We can make fun of it. We can be angry and bitter and deny its existence. But if you've experienced it, you know there's nothing more glorious.
We don't have all of the answers to this sacred mystery, but we do know this" communication is vital to nurturing love. Love must be nurtured or it dies.
If you've found your soul mate you're privileged. Embrace and cherish this sweet, extraordinary moment. Soon enough, way too soon enough, these will be the good old days."
September 26, 2007
This book was very badly written. The grammar was terrible. A few sentences had words left out. One sentence was missing a verb. And the example conversations...oh my God. First of all, they were often preceded by "the following conversation ensued" which always made me think of the On-Star commercials. More importantly, the conversations were just terrible. I'm honestly not sure which were worse, the sample problem conversations or the sample "correct problem solving" conversations. The first made every couple sound like a couple of children who like to swear and the latter were just completely unrealistic. They sounded more like a parody of the stereotypes about the kind of conversations your therapist tells you to have than a real conversation.
There are a few good points, and there were a few things that I thought were pretty clearly a difference of the sexes, but you had to dig for the useful things. I also felt like everything was given a surface level examination so even the things that were good or relevant weren't dealt with in any depth. Surely there must be a better book out there.
There are a few good points, and there were a few things that I thought were pretty clearly a difference of the sexes, but you had to dig for the useful things. I also felt like everything was given a surface level examination so even the things that were good or relevant weren't dealt with in any depth. Surely there must be a better book out there.
August 7, 2007
This book is incredible, but extremely hard to read because you have to be honest with yourself and your own communication style. This book forces you to face some of your uglier traits. I wish I had read this during the last year of my previous relationship so that I could've seen what was going on, both on my end and on TJ's end. This will be a must-read for the next relationship, that's for sure...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews