Perfecting Your Pitch: How to Succeed in Business and in Life by Finding Words That Work

A New York Times bestselling author reveals how to find the right words for every situation
Whether you are making a budget request, interviewing for a job, ending a relationship, or talking to children about divorce, the crux of success in those and other crucial situations is planned, effective communication. And yet, it is the tool people most often fail to use. In Perfecting Your Pitch, expert consultant and negotiator Ronald M. Shapiro presents his system of scripting, outlined efficiently as the Three D’s: Draft, Devil’s Advocate, Deliver.

Using real-life examples, Shapiro walks readers step-by-step through the process of creating an effective message, preparing for counterarguments, and delivering the results with confidence and grace across a broad range of situations. He also provides an excellent menu of stories and model scripts for communication challenges affecting business, family, friends and consumers.

Reaching out to readers of Difficult Conversations and Getting to Yes, Perfecting Your Pitch introduces a simple but powerful system we can all use for great results.

Cofounder of the Shapiro Negotiations Institute, RONALD M. SHAPIRO has negotiated more than $1 billion in contracts. His techniques have helped resolve a national symphony orchestra strike, facilitate solutions to human relations problems, and reconcile disputes in the government and corporate world. His bestselling books include The Power of Nice and Dare to Prepare.

JEFF BARKER is a Baltimore Sun sports reporter. He has covered news, politics and sports for The Sun, Arizona Republic and AP and has appeared on PBS, CNN, ESPN and other networks. He lives with his wife and daughter in Silver Spring, Maryland.