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Ursprünglich kommt der Be­griff aus dem Lateinischen und bedeutet „Handgriff ”, „Kunstgriff ”. Man verwen­

dete ihn im Sinne von „Handhabung von Technik”. Er beschrieb wertfrei ei-ne Handlung. Das hat sich gewandelt.

Gewandelte BedeutungSeit vielen Jahren nutzen auch Psycho­logie, Soziologie, Politk und Kommu­nikationswissenschaften den Begriff „Manipulation” im Sinne von gezielter Einflussnahme auf einzelne Menschen oder Gruppen, deren Erleben und Ver-halten in eine bestimmte Richtung ge-lenkt werden soll.

Der wichtige Punkt hier: Die Manipu­lierten geben ihren eigenen Standpunkt auf, ohne dass sie das sofort bemerken! Dies ist der Grund dafür, dass sich Ma­nipulierte nachträglich sehr oft einfach schlecht fühlen. Sie wurden „über den Tisch gezogen” und waren „zu dumm” oder abgelenkt, um das zu bemerken.

So kommt zu dem Gefühl, betrogen worden zu sein, noch der Zweifel an der eigenen Urteils- und Durchsetzungs-fähigkeit hinzu.

Die faire KommunikationDieses Sich-schlecht-Fühlen ist der entscheidende Aspekt, in dem sich eine Manipulation von der ehrlichen Ausei­nandersetzung unterscheidet, nicht in erster Linie das Durchsetzen von Zielen.Denn in einer gleichberechtigten Dis-kussion hat jeder Beteiligte eine faire Chance, seine Interessen und Ziele zu äußern und gegen die Argumente des anderen abzuwägen.

So kann man durch Austausch von Be­gründungen und Motivationen zu ei­nem Ergebnis kommen, mit dem viel­leicht nicht alle Beteiligten glücklich sind, das aber zumindest alle verstehen werden. Im beruflichen Alltag ist das ei­ne wichtige Voraussetzung dafür, dass alle Mitarbeiter solche Ergebnisse auch gemeinsam tragen und durchsetzen.

Die unfaire KommunikationIn a manipulative conversation one per­son wants to achieve his aims through unfair behaviour (BE)/behavior (AE). He prevaricates and avoids coming to

Down to Business

Manipulation – ein Mittel der MachtDen Begriff „Manipulation” kennen wir aus vielen Zusammenhängen, etwa der Werbung, wo Kunden – möglicherweise gegen ihren Willen – zum Kauf „manipuliert“ werden sollen, oder aus der Physiotherapie, wo Gelenke – zur Besserung von Beschwerden – manipuliert werden. Manipulation kann also positiv oder negativ bewertet werden. Was beim Manipulieren in der Kom-munikation geschieht, das zeigen wir Ihnen jetzt.

Manipulationen,

liebe Leserin, liebe Leser,begegnen uns jeden Tag. Manchmal setzen wir sie sogar selbst ein, na­türlich unbewusst. Denn eigentlich schätzen wir alle in der Kommunikati­on mit anderen vor allem Ehrlichkeit, Glaubwürdigkeit und gegenseitiges Vertrauen. Gerade diese Aspekte eines positiven Umgangs miteinander werden bei Manipulationen jedoch mit Füßen ge­treten. Das hat gute Gründe, denn mit Manipulationen erreicht man oft ra­scher seine Ziele als mit Offenheit und Ehrlichkeit. Als Assistentin sitzen Sie an einer Schaltstelle der Macht und mitunter auch „zwischen den Stühlen”. Damit sind Sie prädestiniert für Manipula­tionsversuche.Mit dieser Sonderausgabe wollen wir Ihnen zeigen, wie Sie sie erkennen und sich dagegen zur Wehr setzen können.

EDIT

ORI

AL

1 Down to BusinessManipulation – ein Mittel der Macht

2 Odds & EndsSo erkennen Sie die klassischen Manipulationsstrategien

5 Speaker´s Corner4 Kontertechniken gegen Manipulationen

7 If in doubt – cut it outDie Taktiken und ihre Abwehr IN

HA

LT

1

Maureen Brown ist in London aufgewachsen. Sie hat viele Jahre als Assistentin und Sekretärin im Management eines Unternehmens gearbeitet und ist heute für die Bezirksregierung in Surrey, Südengland, aktiv.Jennifer Hohensteiner ist in den USA groß ge-worden. Sie hat den Master’s Degree in Political Science und lebt seit 1990 in Deutschland. Hier hat sie langjährige Berufserfahrung als Fremd-sprachensekretärin, Wirtschaftsübersetzerin und Trainerin für Business English.

Ihr Login bei www.english-work.comBenutzername: english Passwort Juni: fremdwort13

Professionelles Know-how & mehr Kompetenz für Assistenz und Sekretariat

English@work71703

08/2013 Juni

Maureen Brown (GB) Jennifer Hohensteiner (USA)

Schwerpunktausgabe: Manipulationen erkennen und kontern

QuoteAssumptions are the termites of

relationships. Henry Winkler, US American

actor and producer

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the point and doesn’t give the other per­son the opportunity to say “no”.

Beispiele aus dem AlltagWe all know manipulative situations very well: • Mother (sobbing) to daughter: “If you

had the car I could get to the doctor …”• Son to father: ”I can’t take part in this

year’s football competition as my boots are worn out …”

• Boss to assistant who is about to leave: “Oh – then I have to write this letter myself … Have a nice weekend …”

These examples show that manipula­tive actions do not necessarily need to be undertaken consciously (although this depends on the relationship and the person’s usual way of communica­ting. Even the boss’s remark could be a mere statement. But in all probability it is not.).

Manipulation is indirect. It comes dis­guised as a statement of facts as in the son/father example, but it aims at, and reaches, the father’s emotions and level of responsibility.

In der beruflichen Kommunikation sind Manipulationen oft schwerer zu erkennen als die „kleinen” Beein­flussungen im privaten Alltag. Das

liegt daran, dass es meist nicht einzel­ne Sätze sind, die unsere Alarmglocken sofort zum Klingen bringen. Vielmehr

Odds & Ends

So erkennen Sie die klassischen ManipulationsstrategienIm einleitenden Artikel haben wir die alltäglichen Manipulationen kennen-gelernt, denen wir oft begegnen und die mitunter unbewusst als emotiona-les Druckmittel eingesetzt werden. Im beruflichen Alltag dagegen werden Manipulationen meist gezielt eingesetzt, um sich einen Vorteil zu verschaf-fen. Hier sind die Folgen oft gravierend. Wir zeigen Ihnen, woran Sie solche folgenschweren Manipulationen erkennen.

sind es im Job komplette Strategien, ei-ne Ansammlung von Verhaltens- und Ausdrucksweisen, die als „Gesamtpa­ket“ darauf abzielen, andere unbemerkt zu beeinflussen und so ein vom Mani­pulator gewünschtes Resultat herbeizu­führen.

Es gibt verschiedene Strategien, doch können wir zwei Hauptgruppen her­auskristallisieren: Die Blockade­ und die Durchsetzungsstrategie. Beide Ver­haltensweisen und ihre Vertreter be­leuchten wir jetzt, jeweils mit Beispie­len.

Der AbblockerOne of the most common reasons for manipulation is that a person wants to control a situation, get their own way or prevent others from reaching their goals.

Sometimes it doesn’t even have to be of benefit to the manipulator. Quite often it is just a matter of cynicism and not taking the other person and their pro­fessional approach, interests and sugges­tions seriously.

QuoteMuch unhappiness has come

into the world because of bewilder­ment and things left unsaid.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Exercise: Manipulationen erkennen

Here is a little exercise to get you into the right manipulation mood: Are the following sentences manipulations or not?And if so, what does the speaker want to achieve?

Aussage Mani pu­lationyes/no

Ziel(In English of course!)

If you decided to buy it today I would give you a 20 % reduction.

Could you stay longer tonight?

You are not one of the quickest, are you?

If you loved me, you would give me the money I need.

What are these green spots on the letter?

I need your help. Would you be willing to take over my shift?

I don’t know how to talk with Ms Ferrel. Could you do that for me?

If you could come earlier that would help me keep my appointment.

If you came earlier, I could go and get this laptop on special offer.

Answer key on page 3

What counts is the result! Regardless of whether the sentence was uttered with the ulterior motive to influence others’ emotions: It surely does!

Now let’s put your understanding of ma­nipulation to the test before we go fur­ther and work on how to analyse and counter such behaviour.

We have looked at the differences be­tween a fair and a manipulative con­versation with some examples from

everyday life. Now we want to find out what that means in your professional life.

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People using this strategy often think in terms of hierarchy; that their time is being wasted by subordinates and they have more important matters to think about. Now let us work on two exam­ples.

Praxisfall neuer DruckerMr Schleifer wants to get a new printer because the old one has paper jams time and time again, which is very time con-suming and keeps him from his main task of developing a new product.

He explains his wish to his boss Mr Dipp, who seems to listen but blocks Schleifer with remarks like:

• “I don’t see the need for a new printer, to be honest. It would be more expen­sive than you restarting the old printer, which in fact does work.”

Answer key exercise: Manipulationen erkennen

Aussage Mani pu­lationyes/no

Ziel(In English of course!)

If you decided to buy it today I would give you a 20 % reduction.

Yes Buy today!

Could you stay longer tonight? No

You are not one of the quickest, are you? Yes Get quicker!

If you loved me, you would give me the money I need.

Yes Guilt, give money

What are these green spots on the letter? Yes Write the letter once again!

I need your help. Would you be willing to take over my shift?

No

I don’t know how to talk with Ms Ferrel. Could you do that for me?

No

If you could come earlier that would help me keep my appointment.

No

If you came earlier, I could go and get this laptop on special offer.

Yes Guilt, come earlier!

Exercise: Crossword puzzle

This crossword puzzle is about words that can be associated with manipulation. Find the solution word No. 6. It is what you need in the first place to thwart manipulations!Across 1 Wunsch 5 Angst 6 …………………… 9 Willen 10 Kontrollieren 11 AppellDown 2 Beeinflussen 3 Unbewusst 4 Gefühl 7 Aufzwingen 8 Lenken

1 2

3 4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Answer key on page 8

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He may also add:• “I understand you are not capable of

using the printer correctly! Perhaps you should read the instructions on how to fill the paper tray. Now let’s see how you’re progressing with xy …”

What the boss does1. He holds on to his opinion that a new

printer is not necessary.2. He throws in a financial argument

against a new printer (which could be discussed as restarting the old print­er does cost money too in respect of Schliefer’s time).

3. He assumes Schleifer is inept.4. He sidetracks Schleifer to another

subject which might be critical for Schleifer.

Blocking is a strong manipulation strategy. It is hard to work with such a senior as he will have practiced this strategy for ages. Nevertheless there are ways to deal with such a boss. We will come to that in the next article.

Der DurchsetzerThe manipulative asserter is a person who understands how to reach his aims with all means and against all resist-ance. He seems to try to get the other person’s full agreement, but in fact he just directs him into his desired direction.

Weiterführende Literatur zu diesem Thema:Dehner: Schluss mit diesen Spielchen! Manipulationen im Alltag erkennen und wirksam dagegen vorgehen, Cam­pus 2007Edmüller/Wilhelm/Radecki: Manipulati­onen abwehren, Haufe 2012. Kittel: Sich durchsetzen: Verhandlun­gen gestalten, Manipulationen abweh­ren, Beck 2009

“Assertiveness” is in English, generally, as positive as is “Durchsetzungsvermögen” in

German.

Die Werkzeuge des DurchsetzersThe asserter uses several tools to reach his aims:1. He flatters in the name of others to

deceive (“Ms Gulp praised you for XY. So I can’t understand why you …”)

2. He agrees on the one hand in order to reach agreement on the other hand (“You are absolutely right! I have to communicate this to the CEO! Great. Now I need your okay for XY …”),

3. He reaches the other person with his own flattery (“Your article was re­markable! The management is look­ing forward to your comment on …, but at the moment we need your go ahead for …”)

4. He unsettles the other person and of­fers his plan as solution (“You might get into trouble with XY, but we could solve your problem through …”)

5. He produces time pressure (“I would think about your suggestion if we had the time. But we need the decision right now!”)

Nonverbale WerkzeugeApart from the communicative tools we mentioned there is a lot a manipulator can do before and after the conversa-tion to reach his aims.

Before the meeting or conversation he can: • fix dates and circumstances that suit

him.• find allies.• put the other in a somewhat difficult

position by using some of the follow­ing means.

After the meeting or conversation he can:• misinterpret the agreement.• hold back information from those con­

cerned.• find allies against the agreement.• block further action.

Praxisfall BesuchsdokumentationMs Alba wants her assistant Dora to

keep information about all visitors. She has explained she needs the exact date, time of stay, details of their needs and individual wishes. She wants to see this information once per month to improve customer care, especially in the recep­tion.

What Dora offers her after the first month is a file with only dates, arrivals and departures and number of visitors in the groups.

When Ms Alba points out what she wanted, Dora replies:“I thought you wanted concise informa­tion for a quick overview.”Which implies that Ms Alba’s wish for more information was not concise and useful? Ms Alba explains again what she wants and Dora seems to agree. Next month she has added little more infor-mation.

It is helpful to be able to identify these types of manipulations in order to respond to them. But there are ways to counter all kinds of manipulations.We will come to that right how.

JokeboxManipulative Sprache

• It is not speeding if there are still cars in front of you.

• You are not abusing drugs if you store them in a cool, dry place and never yell at them or beat them.

• It is not premarital sex if you have no intention of getting married.

QuoteThe basic tool for the manipu­

lation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words.

Philip K. Dick, US American author

Vocabulary Box

assume – unterstellenbad attitude – ablehnende Grund­

haltungcounter – konterndisguised – verkleidetflatter – schmeichelnin all probability – sehr wahrscheinlichinept – unfähiginferiors – Untergebenerpaper jam – Papierstauprevaricate – die Wahrheit

verdrehensidetrack – ablenkenthwart – durchkreuzenulterior motive – Hintergedankevanity – Eitelkeit

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Speaker’s Corner

4 Kontertechniken gegen Manipulationen Manipulationen finden auf allen Ebenen statt, aber Kommunikation ist die Ebene, auf der sie sich für uns am sichtbarsten manifestieren – und kontern lassen. Das befreit niemanden davon, auch auf der Verhaltensebene wachsam zu bleiben und andere Formen der Manipulation abzuwehren. In allen Arten von Diskussionen helfen Ihnen die folgenden Kommunikationstechniken.

Lassen Sie uns zunächst feststel­len, wie Kommunikation – wie wir sie alle kennen – mit Mani­pulatoren aussieht und welche

wichtigen Einsichten auf der Seite des „Opfers” erst den Erfolg der Gegenwehr gewährleisten. Auf der Website http://manipulativepeople.net/counter-mani-pulation/counter-manipulation-is-lear-ned/ finden Sie folgenden aufschlussrei­chen Text.

Berufliche Beziehungen sind andersWas in dem zitierten Text für private Beziehungen gesagt wird, kann nicht eins zu eins auf berufliche Beziehungen übertragen werden. Denn dort ist in der Regel keine so enge persönliche Verbin­dung gegeben. Außerdem kommt im Job ein Machtverhältnis hinzu.

Dass Manipulationen emotionalen Stress erzeugen, gilt allerdings eben­falls im Unternehmen. Und auch die Tatsache, dass man Manipulatoren ge­

genüber besondere Kommunikations­techiken einsetzen muss, und zwar ganz bewusst, gilt im Beruf ebenso wie in der Familie.

Wirksame KontertechnikenEinige der wirksamsten Kontertech-niken gegen Manipulationen kennen Sie aus anderen Zusammenhängen der Kommunikation.

Es sind im einzelnen:• Fragetechnik,• Sachebene ansteuern,• Themenschleife,• Distanzierung.

Wir schauen uns diese Techniken nun etwas genauer an, damit Sie sie in Ihrer Fremdsprache Nr. 1 umsetzen können.

Kontertechnik 1: FragenQuestions are the most important way to get information and to find out about the other persons intentions. They are crucial if you want to succeed in manip­ulative situations.

Eine positive GesprächsbasisWhen you feel manipulated – the trans­lation text made it clear that manipula­tive persons don’t change, so you will know quite well when a special per­son approaches you – the first thing to do is try and find a common ground. You can do this by questioning, because questions signal you are concerned:• Can I help you?• Is there anything I can do?• I didn’t know that. Could you explain

what happened?

With such questions you can take the wind out of the manipulator’s sails and

make him start again – hopefully with a non­manipulative approach.

Offene FrageThe three examples above are a mixture of open and closed questions. Do you know the difference?

As this exercise shows open ques­tions require a more detailed reply than just “yes” or “no”. This means you integrate your manipulator in-to the discussion, make him think about your question and get him off his own track.

Some examples for good open ques-tions to integrate your manipulator into your way of thinking:• What, exactly, are the symptoms of the

problem?• What kind of solution would you want

for the problem?• Have you any suggestions on how to

solve the problem?

Exercise: Übersetzen

“The first thing you need to know when applying counter­manipula tion is that it is impossible to achieve normal com­munication with manipulators. This is difficult to accept, especially if the one being manipulative is close to you, like a parent, a sibling or a lover. We cannot help but secretly and deeply hold on to a hope that eventually the manipu­lator will admit their ways and accept they need to change. This hope makes us continue the relationship, but un­fortunately, patience soon turns into suffering, and the relationship beco­mes a source of stress.

Answer key on page 6

Exercise: Offene oder geschlossene Fragen

Please mark whether the following questions are open or closed ones.

Question Open Closed

Could you give me the blue marker please?

Which kind of printer would you prefer?

Do you really need the company car next Friday?

What do you need to get your project started?

How long do you think your team would need to prepare the sum­mer customer event?

What are your per­sonal strengths in the field of inter­action?

Can you imagine working part time?

Answer key on page 7

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Although it is not exactly a part of the questioning technique, active listening is closely con-

nected with questioning. No matter what kind of questions you use, it is im­portant to listen well and show your estimation for the other person and this will ultimately help you find out what is behind his strategy.

Moreover, with open questions you show the manipulator your knowledge of issues he might have overlooked. And you allow time to rethink the situa­tion. Open questions are suitable for the clarifying question technique, referred to above.

Geschlossene FragenClosed questions on the other hand are useful: • to get a go­ahead, • to keep a conversation short, • to get a clear answer.

All these points are important for the ongoing process, and it can be useful to have witnesses who can confirm what the manipulator agreed upon.

Some examples:• Did I understand you right: You want

…?• Is it correct that …?

• Do you say we can …?• Can we agree on …?If you manage to get the manipulator to state exactly what has to happen next in front of witnesses, you are on the safe side. You have countered his ma­nipulation and don’t have to feel bad as you avoided compromising your con­victions.

Kontertechnik 2: Sachebene ansteuernAnother very helpful way to counter manipulation, especially when the ma­nipulator aims at the emotional level, is to move to the factual level yourself. To be able to do so you need to step back, distance yourself from the emotional element. And lead him back to the facts. Firstly, this foils his plan and secondly, it opens the door to objectivity.

Praxisfall KonflikteSometimes the manipulation repeats it­self. This is a type of bullying, of under­mining someone so many times the other is unable to react. This leaves the victim feeling inadequate and incompetent. Such manipulation is more than unfair.

But one can fight it by filtering out the different reproaches. Here we come back to questions. Try to figure out what the manipulator wants – apart from bul­lying you!• Which point is the most important for

you?• What exactly do you mean when you

say ‘unprepared’?• Did we have an agreement about that?

Kontertechnik 3: ThemenschleifeThe “loop of subject” is helpful if some­body manipulates you by presenting his desired solution as if a discussion had already taken place. This blocking strat­egy is hard to counter. You will need a lot of self­confidence to lead everybody back to the issue in hand. You can do

this with a loop of subject.• I’m sorry, but we haven’t reached that

point yet. We need to hear the differ­ent solutions first.

• Let me return to the problem. It is more complicated and we should lis­ten to Mr X for his expertise.

• I think there is more potential here. I would suggest hearing all options before we decide …

• I would like to come back to the ques­tion we started with …

You can use this technique again and again. Hopefully this will stop the manipulator.

Kontertechnik 4: DistanzierungThis is a compelling way to interrupt the manipulator’s strategy, especially when he is getting emotional. Step back from the subject – if you are in the position to do so.

UnterbrechungHere are some examples of what you can say:• Let us stop at this point.• I don’t think we are talking about the

subject any longer but about relation­ships.

• I think we should postpone the mat­ter. Ms X, please come to my office at 2 o’clock.

ImpressumHerausgeber: GWI – eine Marke der WEKA MEDIA GmbH & Co. KGPostanschrift: Römerstraße 4, 86438 Kis­sing, Tel.: 08233 23 7850, Fax: 08233 23 7860, E­Mail: service@gwi.de, Internet: www.gwi.dePersönlich haftende Gesellschafterin: WEKA MEDIA Beteiligungs­GmbH, Sitz in KissingGeschäftsführung: Stephan Behrens, Michael Bruns, Werner PehlandRedaktion: Ulrike Rudolph (Chefredak­teurin, V.i.S.d.P.), Anschrift siehe obenObjektleitung: Michaela TimeusHerausgeberinnen: Maureen Brown (GB), Jennifer Hohensteiner (USA)Satz & Layout: contentsign, AltenahrDruck: Druckkultur GmbH, MünchenErscheinungsweise: monatlichAlle Angaben in „English@ Work“ wurden mit äußerster Sorgfalt ermittelt und über prüft. Sie basieren jedoch auf der Richtigkeit uns erteilter Auskünfte und unterliegen Verän­derungen. Eine Gewähr kann deshalb nicht übernommen werden, auch nicht für telefo­nisch erteilte Auskünfte. Wiedergabe – auch auszugsweise – nur mit schriftlicher Einwilli­gung des Herausgebers. ISSN 1862­4316

Answer key exercise: Übersetzen„Wenn Sie Konter­Manipulation anwen­den wollen, müssen Sie als erstes wis­sen, dass niemand mit Manipulatoren eine normale Kommunikation führen kann. Diese Tatsache ist schwer zu ak­zeptieren, besonders wenn derjenige, der Manipulationstechniken Ihnen ge­genüber anwendet, eine eng verbun­dene Person ist wie ein Elternteil, ein Geschwister oder ein Beziehungspart­ner. Wir können nichts anderes tun als insgeheim eine starke Hoffnung zu pflegen, dass schlussendlich der Ma­nipulator seine Fehler zugibt und die Notwendigkeit akzeptiert, sich zu än­dern. Diese Hoffnung lässt uns diese Beziehung fortsetzen, aber unglück­licherweise wandelt sich Geduld bald in Leiden, und die Beziehung wird eine Quelle von Stress.”

Insider tip from your Britisheditor Maureen Brown

Instead of questioning you could state facts, such as: “I have an e­mail where you claim/where we agreed …”. But a question is more polite and makes the manipulator find a response.

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If in doubt – cut it out

Die Taktiken und ihre Abwehr„Blockade” und „Durchsetzung” sind Manipulationsstrategien, das heißt, bei diesen Begriffen geht es um das „Was”, die grundlegende Absicht, die hinter der Strategie steckt. Neben den Strategien gibt es spezielle Verhaltenswei-sen, bei Manipulatoren „bewährte” Taktiken, das „Wie”, ihr Ziel zu erreichen. Sie sollten sie kennen, um ihnen gezielt begegnen zu können. Hier sind die „Klassiker” der Manipulationstaktiken.

By asking the manipulator into your of­fice you make it clear that you are not willing to accept such behaviour.

PerspektivwechselAnother possibility to get some breath-ing space is to ask the manipulator quite frankly to slip into your role:• I wonder what you would do in my

place.• What would you suggest if you were

in my position?• Well, let’s try to understand the other

viewpoint!

Taktik bedeutet also in diesem Zusammenhang die konkre-ten Schritte, um einer Strategie zum Durchbruch zu verhelfen,

um so die eigenen Ziele über den Kopf des Gegenübers hinweg durchzusetzen.

Traditionstaktik„Das war schon immer so, das hat sich bewährt, das hat Tradition in unserem Haus!” Die Traditionstaktik nutzt Tod-schlagargumente, denen man schwer etwas entgegensetzen kann. Doch man begegnet ihr immer wieder, auch bei jüngeren Mitarbeitern. Weil Verände­rungen grundsätzlich erst einmal eine Umstellung erfordern, und damit tun sich viele schwer. Lieber hält man – auch gegen besseres Wissen – an dem Bewährten fest.

Status QuoThis tactic is used to keep up the status quo. It is the most common blocking strategy and quite often it is used uncon­sciously, just to cover a fear of change.

To counter this tactic it is important to give a positive attitude both for the fu-ture and the past. It is no use debas­ing the past. This would only cause the manipulator to feel attacked and coun­ter again.

Here are a few suggestions on what you could say:• Well, we have always done it that

way. But times and conditions have changed, and the example of XY shows that another approach could be even more successful.

• Tradition is a good thing and we have been successful. But there are new challenges to face and they need new strategies.

• Things went well over the past years, that’s true. But change brings many opportunities.

The important point in these counter­

tactics is not to let the manipulator lose face, which should be easy as you can assume he is not consciously manipu­lative.

AutoritätstaktikThere is a difference with authority tactics. These manipulators use pro­fessional authorities – such as persons, publications or institutions – to fullfil their aims, and they do it deliberately. The higher the authority’s reputation,

All of these counter techniques can be helpful to fight manipulation. May­be you need more than just one. You can combine them. The most impor­

Vocabulary Box

bullying – Mobbingclarifying question technique – Nachfragetechnikconfirm – bestätigenconviction – Überzeugungget s.o. off his track – jmdn. aus seinem Fahrwasser bringenimpassive – teilnahmslos take the wind out of s.b.’s sails – jmdm. den Wind aus den Segeln nehmen

tant thing is that you stay calm and im­passive and do not react directly to the manipulators approach. That is the last thing the manipulator wants.

Answer key exercise: Offene oder geschlossene Fragen

Question Open Closed

Could you give me the blue marker please?

✗

Which kind of printer would you prefer?

✗

Do you really need the company car next Friday?

✗

What do you need to get your project started?

✗

How long do you think your team would need to prepare the sum­mer customer event?

✗

What are your per­sonal strengths in the field of inter­action?

✗

Can you imagi­ne working part time?

✗

JokeboxBrutal tactics

A man at a lawyer’s office. He asks about the fee. The lawyer: ”$50 for 3 questions.” ”Isn’t that a lot?”, asked the man.The lawyer: ”Yes. And what’s your third question?”

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Ausgabe 08 | 2013

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the stronger the pressure upon the vic­tim to support the manipulator.

But quite often the cited authority may not even be an authority. In reality he may be neither famous nor up­to­date. This is the hook, where you can get the manipulator: by questioning the rele-vance of the authority.

Be careful when expressing your thoughts! Don’t debase somebody you don’t know.

Put it in the form of a neutral ques­tion.

Some possibilities:• May I ask when this article was pub­

lished?• What you cited from XY sounds good.

But I can’t see how he deals with the latest development. Can you explain that to me?

• Does Mr XY refer to our special situ­ation or might his advice be aimed at another branch?

• I’m not quite sure if this is still true for our situation. Does XY mention some­thing about that?

For these counter tactics it is advisable to use “I messages”, i.e. messages about what you think and not about what the authority may have said.

Ein­Boot­TaktikThis kind of tactic is the most emotional and the most brutal one. The manipula­tor knows about the importance of emo­tions when we make our decisions and he uses this knowledge.

Compassion, solidarity, and pride are only three emotions that are used to motivate everybody to close ranks and agree to the manipulator’s aims. You can recognise (BE)/recognize (AE) this tactic quite easily: Words like• us, • our team, • we, • all of us, • them, • the othersare used more often than usual and you might sense a strange feeling of alien-ation, which would not happen if you

were in agreement with the manipula­tor.

The first step to fighting such manipula­tion is to realise what’s going on.

The second step is to question pro-posals put forward:• Surely solidarity is important. But in

this special case I ask myself if solidar­ity is the best solution …

• We are all affected by this new rules, that’s true. But could we try and see the different viewpoints before we make a decision?

• At first sight this situation appears very bad. But why shouldn’t we take a clos­er look?

Whatever kind of manipulation you have to face, the most important step is to realise what’s happening and to stay on your guard but calm. Then you can look for the fitting counter action from this special issue.

Schriftliche Manipulationen abwehrenAnd what about written manipulation? How can you identify them and – even more important, how can you prevent them?

Reklame manipuliertAs we have already mentioned at the be­ginning of this special issue, all kinds of

advertising are manipulative. You will know this from your own experience of texting adverts.

Analysieren Sie Ihre eigene TextarbeitWhat do you do when advertising new goods or services to customers you know or to potential customers whom you do not know?• you analyse (BE)/analyze (AE) your

target group to determine their needs or any possible reservations they may put forward in order to resist making a purchase.

• You try to implant a need which might not be there already.

• You stress your company’s reputation for the quality of goods and excellent customer service which are of special interest for the target group.

• You offer special rates or bargains, which have been calculated beforehand.

• You put time pressure on your tar­get group by limiting the special offer to make them act quickly and without thinking about the offer too much.

Answer key exercise: Crossword puzzle1W 2 I S H

3U 4E N

N M 5 F E A R

C O L

O T U6C O N S C I O U S N E S S

7 I S O N

M C N C 8D

P I 9I N T E N T I O N10 C O N T R O L R

S U 11A P P E A L

E S C

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Vocabulary Box

alienation – Entfremdungcited – zitiertclose ranks – enger zusammenrückendebase – herabwürdigendeliberately – absichtlichlose face – das Gesicht verlieren