Author Description

Understanding feelings and perceptions can be a challenge. We listen, but often it is not easy to make sense out of what people say. When people share their thoughts, worries, and concerns, it is common to think, “What do I say now?” Sometimes we understand what is being said, but how to respond is not so obvious. This book offers an easy guide to understanding and responding to concerns (whether it be the concerns of others or of your own). In this book, emotions are described as different kinds of “concerns”. These concerns are identified and categorized under four major areas of concern: Unrelated, Self, Task, and Impact. Several vignettes and stories are provided as useful examples of different concerns. These examples are designed for the reader to reflect on their own interactions where each of the four areas of concern have been expressed. The second major topic in this book is describing ‘what to do’ when responding to concerns. The suggested ideas on how to respond to concerns can apply in the work environment, at home, and in other settings. In addition, and importantly, the ideas written in this book most definitely apply to you too. This book can easily be used as a self-study and has good applications for a group book study. Leaders, sales representatives, teachers, and others (including students) can easily connect their experiences to the concepts and ideas presented in this book and develop more effective and meaningful ways to respond to a variety of concerns.