About Dr. K’s Blog
Hello! I’m Dr. Rick Kirschner. Welcome to my blog.
Each week, I post fresh content here about change, communication, politics and life. I write about topics that I think will prove helpful to people who want to make a difference. Since you were curious enough to click the ‘About Dr. K’s Blog’ button, I’d like to tell you something more about who I am and why I write this blog.
They say the lucky man thinks he’s smart, and the smart man knows he’s lucky. I’m smart enough to know I’ve been very fortunate throughout my life. I have pursued my dreams, from rock and roll music in Hollywood in the 60s, to organic farming in the 70s, to a private practice in the 80s, corporate training and professional speaking in the 90s, to coaching, teaching, writing books and making audio and video programs that both entertain and educate, right up to the present. In the past three years, I got a new book into bookstores, ‘How To Click With People,’ published by Hyperion, and a new audio product in the iTunes and Audible.com markets, ‘Dealing With People You Can’t Stand,’ published by MacMillan, along with a 3rd revised edition of my first book, the coauthored ‘Dealing With People You Can’t Stand,’ published by McGraw Hill and now in 25 languages.
I like exploring the boundary conditions of our lives. I enjoy catching audiences by surprise, moving the learning out to the edge, building a bridge of accessibility to new thought and possibility. I’ve interviewed thousands of people about the core issues of their lives, counseled a hundred plus couples and families who were caught up in pointless conflict and seemingly unable to change course on their own, spoken to hundreds of thousands of people over a speaking career that spans 28 years. I’ve heard a lot of questions and gotten plenty of feedback along the way.
So Much To Share
I’ve now worked in the field of personal and organizational development for close to three decades. I’m a student of humanity, an observer of patterns. I have devoted my entire adult life to understanding motivation, behavior, and human nature. And I can promise you this.
If you have ever wondered why bad ideas win out over better ones, if you have ever had to resign yourself to ‘the inevitable’ because you didn’t know how to change someone’s mind; missed out on an opportunity because you lacked the right connections; if you have ever wished there was a way to stop being an outsider and start being an insider; and if you are ready to use your positive influence to improve your personal and professional life–this blog is for you.
I will provide you with strategies, information, observations, tips and techniques to help you to become a more powerful, persuasive, connected and functional human being. The insights and experiences I share here, along with the techniques and strategies I recommend, will help you to raise your game and play your part in shaping the world around you.
I Don’t Ask Much
The purpose of this blog is to create a helpful dialog around connection, persuasive communication and life skills. Your comments and feedback are welcome, and I really appreciate hearing from you. I’d like to know what you think of what I write, even if it’s just a few words of encouragement or feedback.
The first line in my book Insider’s Guide To The Art Of Persuasion is this: If you have to be right, you’re doing it wrong. I’ll do my part to create a positive atmosphere. I ask that you:
1. Be decent
2. Be reasonable
3. Behave
4. Be persuasive
5. No FLAMES.
Here’s to an excellent conversation about making a difference in and through our relationships with people.
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About Dr. Rick Kirschner:
Dr. Rick Kirschner is a bestselling author, speaker, executive and life coach, faculty member with the Institute for Management Studies, thought leader with CanDoGo, and adjunct faculty with Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. He is a 1981 ND graduate from National College of Natural Medicine, a 4 year Naturopathic medical school in Portland, Oregon.
Dr. Rick Kirschner presents entertaining, engaging and powerful keynote speeches, training programs, group and individual coaching sessions through his company, The Art of Change LLC. The Art of Change Skills for Life™ empower people to deal successfully with professional and personal challenges and bring about positive change. Dr. K has worked with such client organizations as NASA, Heineken, Progressive Insurance, Providence Healthcare, Starbucks,Texas Instruments and YPO. He has been interviewed on hundreds of radio and TV programs, including CNBC, FOX and CBC. His ideas on communication and conflict resolution are found in magazines and newspapers including USA Today, London Times, The Wall Street Journal and Executive Excellence.
Dr. Kirschner is the author or coauthor of 7 books, including the international bestseller ‘Dealing With People You Can’t Stand,’ ‘Life By Design,’ ‘Love Thy Customer,’ and his comprehensive communication program, ‘Insider’s Guide To The Art of Persuasion,’ available at http://TheArtofChange.com
Dr. Kirschner’s most recent book, ‘How To Click With People: The Secret To Better Relationships In Business And In Life‘ is in book stores, both online and offline. Learn more at http://howtoclickwithpeople.com
In the news:
Dr. Kirschner’s Macmillan Audiobook based on the international bestselling book by the same title, ‘Dealing With People You Can’t Stand: How to Bring Out the Best in People at Their Worst‘(Kirschner & Brinkman, McGraw-Hill)
“We’re very excited about this release from Macmillan Audio. People have been asking for a spoken word version of our bestselling book for years, and this is it. We hear from numerous people every year about how this material has helped them to reduce conflict and increase cooperation in their lives. Making it available as a set of CDs or a digital download means more people can avail themselves of these tried and true patterns for effective communication under difficult conditions.”
Hi Dr K
I stumbled across your blog and liked it a lot. The ideas and explanations are interesting and useful… so thanks. I’m looking to really understand persuasive phone conversations in detail and wondered if you knew of any good resources that cover content & direction, pace and intonation etc. Until recently I have been a headhunter for a number of years and I have become accutely aware of not only what, but how I am saying things. I regularly asked questions that presented in the wrong manner would cause the respondents to disengage with me and terminate the call. This said, I would like to increase my skill still further in this area and wondered if you were aware of any in-depth resources? Another thought I also had was how could NLP be tailored to a phone-based environment to expose individuals to a set of horizons outside their own and motivate them to decision making as a result, do you know of anyone active in this area?
Thanks
Paul
Hi Paul, thanks for the feedback, I’m glad you like the blog!
In depth resources: Ever considered coaching? Might be just what you’re after.
I write about motivation in my book and audio program, ‘Insider’s Guide to the Art of Persuasion,’ along with everything else I thought would be useful for persuasive conversations. Go to my blog store to get the ebook or paperback, and the 8 CD audio as well.
Also in my next book I write in detail about connecting with people over the phone, so please watch for it next spring.
I hope you’ll keep coming back and that you will comment again!
best wishes,
Rick
Could you offer some proof that you went to SCNM? Or that you are a “doctor”?
Thanks
Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for your question.
Well, I suppose I’ll begin by saying I find it kinda funny that someone who conceals their identity (you signed in as Anonymous, and didn’t leave so much as an email address or web site) asks me to be more specific about mine. But be that as it may, if you want to know more about me, you shouldn’t have a lick of trouble finding what you want to know. It’s the age of information, and as a public person (author, speaker, ND, etc.), I’m an open book. Google me and you can find out just about anything. For example, you could find out that I did not attend SCNM, but do teach there. You could find out that I did attend NCNM, at a time when it was the ONLY 4 year naturopathic medical school in North America (there are now 7, with an 8th opening in San Diego soon) You could contact the Oregon Board of Naturopathic Examiners to find out if I’m still actively licensed in my state (I am inactive for 2012.) Or you could read the last four years of blog posts found on this site, as I’ve done plenty of self-disclosure. Heck, there’s so much information about me on the internet that even I can find things out about me that I had forgotten or didn’t realize. And if that’s still not enough, I even have a personal web site at http://talknatural.com and there’s a wiki about me, along with some humor and lots of music and photographs, as well.
Best wishes
Rick