Troubled talk and talking cures: From "smart talk" to wise conversations

Interpersonal communication is widely viewed as both a source of conflict i n many social relationships and a cure-all for resolving such conflict. Som e theorists assert that we simply do not interact or talk, enough in modern society others point out that our communication styles seem increasingly a rgumentative, exclude important potential contributors, or are strategicall y facile but shallow The author discusses the various forms of dysfunctiona l "talk" in which people engage, then reviews four recent books, all of whi ch focus (at feast in part) on how we might talk (and negotiate) with one a nother more constructively: Bargaining for Advantage, by G. Richard Shell; Winning 'Em Over, by Jay C. Conger; Difficult Conversations, by Douglas Sto ne, Bruce Patton and Sheila Heen; and The Magic of Dialogue by Daniel Yanke lovich.