We live in an age of rapid change and instant communication. We also live in a culture of blame and disrespect...

Has anyone ever told you:

• “It’s all your fault!”
• “You should be ashamed of yourself!”
• “You’re a disgrace to your [family][community][country][team][profession][party][you fill in the blank]
• “What’s the matter with you? Are you crazy? Stupid? Immoral? Unethical? Evil?”

And then were you told everything that’s “wrong” with you and how you should behave?

It’s not about you!

Let’s face it. Most of us have said something like this when we “lost it”—hopefully not too often. But some people communicate this way a lot! It’s helpful to know that their personal attacks are not about you. They are about the blamer’s inability to control himself and solve problems.

When people repeatedly use personal attacks, I think of them as “high-conflict people” (HCPs), because they lack skills for dealing well with conflict. Instead of sharing responsibility for solving problems, they repeatedly lose it and increase conflict by making it intensely personal and taking no responsibility. They are the most difficult people, because they are preoccupied with blaming others—what I call their “targets of blame”—which may include you! They speak Blamespeak: attack, defend—and attack again.

I wrote this book to help you respond to anyone who tries to engage you with hostile emails, texts, Facebook postings, vicious rumors, or just plain difficult behavior. But before I explain how to write a BIFF response, I want to give you a brief understanding of how HCPs think.

This audiobook was produced and published by Echo Point Books & Media, an independent bookseller in Brattleboro, Vermont. ©2011 Bill Eddy (P)