Talking to Crazy: How to Deal with the Irrational and Impossible People in Your Life - Hardcover

"You've met the bully, the manipulator, the victim, the know-it-all, the backstabber. Dealing with these personalities can drive you crazy--unless you employ Goulston's methods for dealing with them." --Jim Pawlak, Biz Books "You've met the bully, the manipulator, the victim, the know-it-all...Dealing with these personalities can drive you crazy -- unless you employ Goulston's methods for dealing with them." - Hartford Business Journal "Sometimes you read a book that is not only utterly riveting but also gives you useful tips for dealing with difficult situations in your own life." --Steemit "Everyone's heard the expression 'you can't talk to crazy.' Goulston has discovered a way to communicate with them." -Lindsey Novak, At Work national columnist Online MBA's 25 Best Business Books "[Goulston's]ideas are a bit counter-intuitive but they really do shift the dynamic and help people diffuse and disarm the irrational person leading to more positive outcomes." -- Online MBA "Reading Talking to Crazy will enrich your life. It is a book of practical wisdom." --Parking Today ..".can help our work and personal life be less stressful, more productive and possibly save someone from doing something violent to themselves or others." --School Administrator "Guidebook to dealing with the impossible people that cross your path. His suggestions can be put to work immediately. I know because I did. And they work." --Skip Prichard's Leadership Insights 2016 Audie Award Finalist in Business/Educational Earphones Award Winner from Audiofile Magazine Audiobook Review: "In this entertaining audiobook, author Mark Goulston has compiled decades of his experiences as a psychiatrist to show how even a layperson can communicate successfully with the irrational people in his or her life." --Audiofile Magazine ..".we all deal with irrational people and situations. Talking to Crazy contains valuable insights into these types of interactions...an important addition to anyone's library." --Banking Exchange "Psychiatrist and power-blogger Mark Goulston presents the gift of his latest book to anyone who has ever dealt with bullies, whiners, manipulators, or screamers. Oh, wait, that's all of us." --Associations Now "Common-sense advice and humor offered by Goulston...sheds light on mental health issues that are not discussed (but definitely experienced) in everyday life, especially in the workplace." --Small Business Trends ..".explains why people act in unreasonable ways, giving insight in to the brain's natural defense mechanisms and how to recognize an irrational person's modus operandi." --Industrial Engineer Magazine "I strongly recommend that you buy this book...you will find it infinitely useful, no matter what profession or life situation you are in." --PCB007 "My only regret about this book is that I did not read it sooner, when it would have been very helpful in dealing with some 'crazy' situations." --Vancouver Business Journal "Talking to Crazy is a captivating, accessible guide to the many forms of 'everyday crazy' we face at work and in our personal lives." --TD Magazine "Finally! The book that helps you deal with irrational, impossible people." --Oprah's Book Club 2.0 "How can you survive all the cranks and impossible people that you daily have to deal with? Goulston describes their antics and how to deal with them in this delightful self-help book." --San Francisco Book Review "This is a great book for managers who know that some situations--a negative review, the announcement of organizational change--can bring out the crazy in anyone." --Inc.com ..".most conflicts in the workplace simply involve very difficult people who can make life miserable. Talking to Crazy offers much-needed guidance for those seeking a solution to these all-too-common conflicts." --Soundview "By giving readers the words and theories, Goulston elevates a good book into a great one." --Success Magazine

Let’s face it, we all know people who are irrational. No matter how hard you try to reason with them, it never works. So what’s the solution? How do you talk to someone who’s out of control? What can you do with a boss who bullies, a spouse who yells, or a friend who frequently bursts into tears?

In his book, Just Listen, Mark Goulston shared his bestselling formula for getting through to the resistant people in your life. Now, in his breakthrough new book Talking to Crazy, he brings his communication magic to the most difficult group of all - the downright irrational.

As a psychiatrist, Goulston has seen his share of crazy and he knows from experience that you can’t simply argue it away. The key to handling irrational people is to learn to lean into the crazy - to empathize with it. That radically changes the dynamic and transforms you from a threat into an ally. Talking to Crazy explains this counterintuitive Sanity Cycle and reveals why people act the way they do, how instinctive responses can exacerbate the situation and what to do instead, when to confront a problem and when to walk away, how to use a range of proven techniques including Time Travel, the Fishbowl, and the Belly Roll.

You can’t reason with unreasonable people - but you can reach them. This powerful and practical book shows you how.