I was asked to check this book out by the head of the Student Ministries department and so I dutifully did so. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much when I began reading this book. I thought I'd get a few good points, close the book and move on. I was however, pleasantly surprised by what I got.
The book opens up with the importance of presentation. A simple story from the Cosby Show illustrates that the best content, if not presented well will never be well received. The book continues with great content on how to go about presenting our communications better, seeking to know what our teen really wants underneath all the angst we see and also gives advice on things we must understand in order to connect with our teens.
From the idea of “quatements”* to the biblical understanding of who our teens are, this book covers a wide array of content that will most assuredly help us in our communications.
“…beneath the surface of actions and thinking are good desires that God has hardwired into teens. Teens will respond to adults who can identify these. A clear view of them will give the young person the energy to make changes, sometimes radical and rapid changes.” (Horne, 2009, p. 98)
I was so inspired by this book that I took it upon myself to review it and summarize the entire thing. I wrote up a chapter by chapter summary/review so our parents can use it as a tool right away with their teens. We also encouraged the parents to pick up their own copy here: http://www.shepherdpress.com/product.php?productid=16234
I highly recommend this book to you as well and I will at the bottom put a direct link to my review/summary so you can see for yourself just how good it is. I hope the time spent doing this will be rewarded by many people getting a chance to use the good, wise, Biblically sound advice that author Rick Horne has given us!
*“Quatements” are statements that are spoken somewhat like questions. To be effective, they must be sensitive to a teen’s thoughts, feelings, fears, disappointments, or frustrations.” (Horne, 2009, p. 82) An example of a good quatement is: “I give you the impression that nothing you do is good enough.” Said with gentleness and respect, but showing that you understand what they’re saying.
My full 12 page summary/Review
Here's how I summarized it for our parents:
Anyone who has a teen or has worked with teens knows that communicating with them can be very difficult, especially if emotions escalate. Many people have discussed this topic and have hashed out their own ideas. Recently, we came across a resource we felt was worth investing time into as well as worth mentioning to you. It is a book titled: Get Outta My Face! By Rick Horne and is in our opinion a good resource for parents as well as youth workers. It is a tool that helps us to see our part in communication and presents things to watch for as we own our side of communications.
