Verbal Judo: Words As a Force Option

I have, and recommend, "Verbal Judo, The gentle art of persuasion". Thus I thought "Force Option" would be a follow-on or possibly an enhancement of that material. Force Option is an exercise in obscurity. Worth far less than half of its price."Persuasion" is excellent, "Force Option" is the other extreme. Thompson seems to be reverting to his background in education while giving the impression that he has little law enforcement experience. I get the impression he is attempting to re-establish his credentials in use of the English language, all the while ignoring one major point he made in the first book, and I quote; "Great, profound thinkers must communicate simply. They understand the complexities, but they must make them simple so everyone can understand."This book fails in making it "simple so everyone can understand", the exact opposite of the way "gentle art of persuasion" explains concepts.

excellent book on understanding the benefits of not "going to blows" if it can be avoided, plus good tools for avoiding conflict. The best fight is one you are not in, or one that you can walk away from without injury.

Great for any profession which required tack to avoid conflict.Lots of good advice in there, which most cops would do well to follow

Dry like all stuff like this

Great book I recommend it for anyone dealing with the public in crises situations. A must have for police officers.

there would be less fights if all would read this..

good

This is one of those books that should be recommended reading for law enforcement officers. I bought this book near the beginning of my career and after 12 years of service I credit it with helping me keep potentially dangerous situations from escalating into physical confrontations. They can't all be avoided, but often times an officer puts too much stock in acting macho and demanding compliance simply because they have a badge and gun. Young officers tend to suffer from tunnel vision and neglect to practice good verbal tactics, even sometimes escalating situations into violent encounters just because they don't know how to talk to people. I recently had a subject high on PCP and anyone who has had similar encounters know they rarely end without someone getting seriously hurt or killed. Fortunately my partner and I were able to use solid verbal tactics to where no one got hurt and though the man went to jail, he thanked us for treating him with respect and dignity even though he had a lengthy criminal background including assaulting officers and an extensive substance abuse problem. I highly recommend this book to the professional LEO who wants to develop another tool for their tool box and help them get safely home to their families.