Wayne Haber

This is the communication warrior’s real service: staying calm in the midst of conflict, deflecting verbal abuse, and offering empathy in the face of antagonism. Verbal Judo, The Gentle Art of Persuasion   Here are my notes and excerpts from Verbal Judo, The Gentle Art of Persuasion by George Thompson Ph.D., an English Professor, martial arts black belt, and police officer. Be mindful of what you say and how you say it “Never use words that rise readily to your lips, or you’ll make the greatest speech you’ll ever live to regret.” The responsibility for the understanding belongs to the speaker, not the listener. Your job is to get through. Understand your audience Often the best way of reading your target audience is to see the person the way they see themselves. This is the true essence of empathy. Never react to what people say. React to what they mean. Just remember: People hardly ever say what they mean. When two people are talking, six different identities are involved—each pe...

Great blog by Fernando Diaz after being my shadow for a week . Thanks for all of the help and really leaning into the process!   Fernando's blog covers: Starting the program Notable meetings Error budgets Reliability Security Product management Notable merge requests Engineering internships Platform abuse Program takeaways