Lifescripts: What to Say to Get What You Want in Life's Toughest Situations, Third Edition

  • 2h 48m
  • Mark Levine, Stephen M. Pollan
  • John Wiley & Sons (US)
  • 2019

Expertly navigate any workplace conversation and come out on top

When confronted with difficult situations in the workplace, many people are at a loss for words. That’s why New York Times bestselling authors Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine created Lifescripts: What to Say to Get What You Want in Life's Toughest Situations. Using two-color flowcharts, Lifescripts maps out 109 difficult conversations, guiding you through discussion openers and effective responses reach the desired result. This completely revised and updated edition includes nearly 50 new business-focused scripts covering everything from apologizing for a misdirected email to requesting better meeting manners.

Inside, you’ll find scripts to fit any situation you’re confronting at work. Use the signature Lifescripts visual flowcharts to work your way through exactly how the conversation should go. Be it boosting employee morale or getting the raise you deserve, when the time comes, you’ll be prepared not only with the right words and phrases, but with the confidence you need to get what you want.

  • Work your way through conversation scripts for terminations, performance reviews, negotiating job offers, asking for raises, and much more
  • Learn a unique set of icebreakers, pitches, questions, answers, and defenses for each difficult conversation
  • Easily develop a winning conversational strategy using the signature visual flowcharts unique to Lifescripts
  • Get strategic tips on attitude, timing, preparation, and behavior to help make any conversation a success

This revised Third Edition of Lifescripts is here to help employees and managers communicate even more clearly and effectively. Whatever the situation, Lifescripts provides a road map to navigate the most perplexing, problematic dialogues for success.

About the Authors

STEPHEN M. POLLAN was a successful practicing attorney for over forty years. He offered pragmatic career, financial, business, and legal advice to individuals and businesses. Pollan was CNBC's on-air personal finance expert for five years.

MARK LEVINE lives with his wife and his Newfoundland Moses in Ithaca, New York.

POLLAN and LEVINE have coauthored many books on business and personal finance, including Die Broke.

In this Book

  • Introduction
  • Meeting Your New Supervisor
  • Asking Your Supervisor for a Raise outside of the Annual Review Process
  • Having Your Pay Cut
  • Asking Your Supervisor for a Salary Advance
  • Asking Your Supervisor for a Promotion
  • Asking Your Supervisor for Help with Your Workload
  • Asking Your Supervisor to Be Involved in Projects That Provide Greater Exposure
  • Asking Your Supervisor for Time to Shadow in other Departments
  • Asking Your Supervisor for More Responsibilities
  • Your Responsibilities are Increased, but Not Your Pay
  • Turning down an Assignment
  • Asking Your Supervisor for Relief from a Project
  • Asking Your Supervisor for a Deadline Extension
  • Asking Your Supervisor for a Transfer
  • Asking Your Supervisor for More Staff
  • Your Staff is Cut
  • Asking Your Supervisor for a Budget Increase
  • Your Budget is Cut
  • Going over Your Supervisor's Head
  • Asking Your Supervisor if You Can Work from Home
  • Asking Your Supervisor for a Schedule Adjustment to Accommodate School
  • Asking Your Supervisor for Clearer Directions
  • Asking Your Supervisor to Stop Micromanaging
  • Breaking Bad News to Your Supervisor
  • Explaining Rapid Staff Turnover to Your Supervisor
  • Warning Your Supervisor of a Potential Client or Customer Problem
  • Warning Your Supervisor of a Potential Vendor or Supplier Problem
  • Apologizing for a Misdirected Email to Your Supervisor
  • Defending an Expense Report to Your Supervisor
  • Defending Your Own Performance from Criticism
  • Putting an End to Verbal Abuse from Your Supervisor
  • Putting an End to Unjust Criticism from Your Supervisor
  • You're a Company Icon Being Terminated
  • You're Terminated by a Friend
  • You're Terminated When Close to Retirement
  • You're Terminated When You Have a Personal Burden
  • You're Terminated, but are Asked to Remain Available
  • You're Asked to Become a Part-Time Employee
  • Asking Your Supervisor for a Job Recommendation
  • Negotiating Severance with Your Supervisor
  • Giving Notice to Your Supervisor
  • Meeting Your New Staff
  • Responding to a Direct Report's Raise Request
  • Responding to a Direct Report's Promotion Request
  • Responding to a Direct Report's Request for Time off
  • Responding to a Direct Report's Request to Hire Their Child
  • Denying a Direct Report's Vacation Request
  • Responding to a Direct Report's Request for a Schedule Adjustment
  • Insisting on a More Positive Attitude from a Direct Report
  • Insisting a Direct Report Show More Awareness of Ethical Issues
  • Insisting a Direct Report Show More Respect for Diversity Efforts
  • Insisting a Direct Report Improve Their Appearance
  • Insisting on Better Hygiene from a Direct Report
  • Putting an End to a Direct Report's Personal Telephone and Internet Use
  • Dealing with a Direct Report's Repeated Lateness
  • Putting an End to a Direct Report's Procrastination
  • Correcting Repeated Mistakes by a Direct Report
  • Insisting a Direct Report Improve Their Voice Manners
  • Putting an End to a Direct Report's Personal Use of Equipment
  • Requesting Better Meeting Manners from a Direct Report
  • Dealing with Criticism a Direct Report Posts on Social Networking Platforms
  • Questioning a Direct Report's Expenses
  • Delivering a Critical Performance Review to a Direct Report
  • Reducing the Size of a Direct Report's Staff
  • Reducing the Size of a Direct Report's Workspace
  • Apologizing to a Direct Report for Your Own Behavior
  • Apologizing to a Direct Report for Unintended Gender Insensitivity
  • Apologizing to a Direct Report for Unintended Cultural Insensitivity
  • Extending a Direct Report's Responsibilities without Increasing Their Pay
  • Increasing an Entire Staff's Hours but Not Their Pay
  • Turning a Full-Time Direct Report into a Part-Timer
  • Cutting an Entire Staff's Pay
  • Cutting an Individual Direct Report's Pay
  • Sending a Voluntary Termination Hint to a Direct Report
  • Terminating a Friend
  • Tattling on a Peer to Your Supervisor
  • Telling Your Supervisor That Someone Else Took Credit for Your Idea
  • Asking Your Supervisor for Help with a Problem Peer
  • Asking Your Supervisor to Help When Another Department Oversteps Their Bounds
  • Suggesting Less Drinking to a Coworker
  • Putting an End to Backstabbing by Direct Reports
  • Putting an End to Harassment by a Coworker
  • Putting an End to a Direct Report's Gossiping
  • Putting an End to a Direct Report's Brownnosing
  • Putting an End to a Direct Report's Flirting
  • Suggesting Better Hygiene to a Coworker
  • Putting an End to a Coworker's Chronic Interruptions
  • Putting an Endto a Coworker's Dishonest Behavior
  • Asking a Coworker to Treat Your Staff with More Respect
  • Asking a Coworker to Stop Backstabbing
  • Refusing to Lie for a Coworker
  • Putting an End to a Coworker's Romantic Overtures
  • Asking a Coworker to Stop Gossiping
  • Asking a Coworker to Come in Earlier and/or Stay Later
  • Asking a Coworker to Improve the Quality of Their Work
  • Correcting a Coworker's Mistakes
  • Putting an End to a Coworker's Pilfering
  • Asking a Coworker to Accelerate Their Work
  • Asking a Coworker to Redo Their Work
  • Requesting Better Meeting Manners from a Coworker
  • Deflecting a Coworker's Probes for Personal Information
  • Asking a Coworker to Stay within the Bounds of Their Role
  • Asking a Coworker to Cover for You
  • Asking a Coworker to Switch Vacations with You
  • Apologizing to a Coworker for a Misdirected Email
  • Apologizing to a Coworker for Unintended Gender Insensitivity
  • Apologizing to a Coworker for Unintended Cultural Insensitivity
  • Helping a Coworker Set More Realistic Goals
  • Telling a Coworker Their Job May Be in Danger
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