How to Say It For Women: Communicating with Confidence and Power Using the Language of Success

I bought this book at a womens' leadership conference a couple of years ago. I read it cover-to-cover and decided to try the skills covered when communicating in my office. My supervisors' opinions of me changed drastically - they began to view me as surly and defiant. I didn't think any of the verbage alternatives were rude, but in the organization where I was working, the higher-ups expected you to consider them omnipotent and not have an opinion of your own. Ultimately one should consider their audience and adjust their language accordingly.

I am using this book as a reference for my students in a business english course in Japan. Although the students find reading it cover to cover a bit too much (lower intermediate English level) when I point out specific points and pages I want them to read and understand, they really get a lot out of it. The book is written well and ideas are developed and backed up clearly. I would recommend this to any teachers of women students.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. As a leadership coach in Silicon valley I often help women managers and executives to become better leaders, and this book speaks directly to two of the biggest roadblocks to women's advancement: communication and confidence. These women are shocked at how closely Mindell understands their work challenges. The book takes highly volatile, challenging workplace situations and offers suggestions that immediately actionable.

Martin M. Broadwell and Carol Broadwell Dietrich expertly guide you through learning how to be the boss. They cover adjusting to your new role, acquiring the skills you'll need and coping with becoming a supervisor - from planning and organizing to directing and controlling. There may be just too much about stress and not quite enough about daily processes and follow through, but the information is solid across all subjects. The authors get right to the point, never sacrificing warmth, context or detail. Each section ends with thought-provoking group or individual exercises to reinforce what you've just read. We recommend this book to people who are taking their first supervisory positions, to those aiming for that goal and to anyone who has to train either of them.

Dr. Phyllis Mindell begins her work with an opening that outlines the benefits you will gain as a reader, and advice for making the most of the book. Among Dr. Mindell's long list of promises are some very audacious ones, such as "influence policy decisions at the top" "improve your career" and "lead and manage successfully". Upon reading this intro, I was intrigued but highly skeptical. After all, Phyllis didn't know my particular situation, the politics in my company, or the people with whom I am dealing. How then, I wondered, could she guarantee me such dramatic results? After reading the book and seeing immediate improvement in my professional life, I understand that that is the point indeed--the issues faced by women in all professions and at all levels have common roots! Dr. Mindell has discovered the true cause of women's relative lack of success in the workplace when compared to men: a failure to appreciate and utilize the power of language. Unfortunately, we are often guilty of self-sabotage in which we undermine our own effectiveness with weak language or an attempt to imitate the "strong" language of men.Fortunately, Dr. Mindell has developed a language style for women and she teaches it in a practical, actionable way with lots of examples and tools to show the reader "how to transform your life by transforming your language". She also discusses style and dressing for success, as well as power reading, both important issues related to that of language. The book's effect on me was immediate, as I was reading it on a plane on the way to Brazil: I had to write a presentation to give in Sao Paulo and was "cheating" by using my time to read instead. However, when I got to the chapter on organizing and writing effective presentations, I simply followed the outline and got mine done in half the time. I also received many compliments for my apparent "off the cuff" speech the next day at the Energy conference. Little did they know that I had the help of an "expert"! I loved the whole book and read it in a couple of sittings although it is not a "light read" by any means. I am now recommending "How to Say it For Women" to all my women colleagues and friends. The book is a good investment and a steal at that price.