Comebacks at Work Using Conversation to Master Confrontation

The workplace guide to putting “I wish I’d said” moments in the past

Ever wish that you could have a “do over” after a conversation at work? Do you often find yourself regretting what you’ve said to a coworker—or kicking yourself for not saying something better, stronger, or more precise? If so, you’re like most people, and in Comebacks at Work, management professor and consultant Kathleen Kelley Reardon, Ph.D., provides the tips and tools you need to know what to say—and how to say it better—next time.

In this compelling, entertaining book, Reardon argues that we are responsible for 75 percent of the way we’re treated at work, and our success—or failure—at the workplace depends largely on how we handle ourselves in conversation with our colleagues. To break free of the stale scripts and expected actions that allow politically astute people to manipulate us, we must increase our conversational awareness and effectively employ what Reardon calls “comebacks.” Comebacks at Work provides a game plan for doing so and explains:

• Why some comebacks work, while others fall flat;
• Why our mind goes blank when we are confronted, and how to overcome that response;
• How to determine which comebacks work, and when to use them.

Every conversation is different, and while many situations are common, one set of comebacks isn’t enough. Offering a personalized repertoire of comebacks and a plan for using them strategically as well as the skills you will need to package them for maximum effect, Comebacks at Work will prepare you for any difficult conversation that comes your way.