Power Up, Stand Up, SpeakTall 11
by passengers. Apparently, the paged customers were in the area,
but so engaged in conversation that they didn’t hear their own
names being called. When they realized they had missed their
flight, they hammered the gate agent. Marvin came to her
defense. “You’re out of line. She paged you three times,” he said.
The agent assured the couple that she would do her best to get
them on the next flight, which she did. Then she paged Mar-
vin, and told him, “I gave that couple your seats. I hope you
don’t mind first-class.” My guess is that the delayed couple
would have had those first-class seats if they had spoken more
effectively.
Your Balance of Power
Effective communication comes from balance—a balance of
power. Your words work when you find the alternative to the
pendulum of suppression-to-aggression that so many of us ride.
PowerPhrases provide the essential balance necessary to truly
SpeakTall. You CAN be completely clear and completely
respectful at the same time. You CAN speak powerfully with-
out overpowering. You CAN get what you want without creat-
ing resistance and resentment. You CAN talk the walk you want.
There is a middle ground, and PowerPhrases are spoken from
that middle ground. Not only that, PowerPhrases don’t just tell
you how to approach conversations, they tell you exactly what
to say.
When you hear your meaning expressed in PowerPhrases
that will get you heard, you will have a sense of recognition and
empowerment to be an effective player in your own life. If you
relate at all to the stories I’ve told, take heart. There is a better
way to say it, and that is what PowerPhrases are all about.