How do you think the world have been like, if everyone not only had the freedom of speech, not only the bravery to speak up, but if everyone knew the art of sharing their voice and putting their opinions smartly? Indeed, “history repeats its self” as long as people are not willing to wisely share what they think is wrong, or right, as the author clearly stated, “If you don’t speak up, nothing changes.”
There is a reason however why people avoid speaking up when bad behaviour is noticed, according to the research done by the author – Dawn Metcalfe – there are 3 main reasons, people are: “afraid of retribution, or causing offence and didn’t know how to speak up.”
What is vital about The HardTalk Handbook is that it is not only based on the author’s experience, knowledge and opinion, but it is also based on research and surveys that were carried in 2016. I feel lucky now to be one of the people who filled the survey which was about “bad behaviour in the workplace”. The results of this research concluded that 90 per cent of the respondents said they had experienced bad behaviour in the workplace, yet only 30 per cent of them spoke up. Based on that, the author highlighted a sensitive issue that organisations are facing yet they too are silent about it, “This is not good news for things organisations care about like morale, quality and turnover.”
Although the book is mainly written for relationships at work, but the book actually applies in personal relationships and daily communication with people and perhaps with the self too. Kristin Sherry – Career Consultant & Author – summarised the concept behind the HardTalk through describing one of the author’s “unique traits” in the book’s introduction, “Dawn is a direct communicator. Not the blunt kind, but the rare kind that combines candor with compassion and curiosity.”
At the beginning of the book Dawn used the talent of Brian Bilston – a renown poet known for his love to “playful language” – who wrote 3 different stanzas using the same keywords and theme, yet written completely different where the last one reveals one’s power of combining words together to grasp the attention of the reader/listener. Those 3 poems are a smart metaphor for how can one have the right to talk and the knowledge behind using the impactful words yet was unsuccessful in combining these keywords with the message he/she longs to deliver, and therefore lost the interest of the listener. Those 3 stanzas reflect the power of words, communication and emotional intelligence which are key factors behind the success of the HardTalk process.
Reliving Dawn’s childhood and early days through the beautifully written biography at the beginning of the book it is mentioned that she had lived in “19 different houses” and attended “four schools”. When I read that I asked myself, how many “HardTalks” she has been through? When was her first HardTalk and what was it about! This lucrative life experience provided depth across the chapters of the book, where each theory is backed up with real life stories and case studies, not to mention that the author is also a coach and the expertise reflected in the book is not purely based on personal experience.
The HardTalk book has a distinguishing flavour, as it reflects the author’s enthusiasm and literacy towards classic literature. At the beginning of each chapter Dawn handpicked quotes from Shakespeare, Oscar Wild and others.
Aside from the style of writing, the approach to the reader’s mind and the telepathic communication established between the writer and the person who has been through the cases discussed in the book, this book might actually change the life of people.
The HardTalk is not a theory process, however the book contains practical HardTalk models that are based on tested step-by-step methods. The science in the HardTalk book is now reincarnated in the HardTalk Training Programme. When I have first heard about that, first thing I said to myself was, “Dawn seriously wants to make a difference.”
Reviewed By: Mahmoud Mansi
