Question? For more information about becoming certified, or if you're interested in booking one of our certified trainers from our Tongue Fu!® Speakers Bureau, email Cheri Grimm at Info@SamHorn.com, or call her at 805-528-4351

Combined Tongue Fu!® - Take the Bully By the Horns Certification Institute

“Tongue Fu!® is a gold mine for anyone who deals with the public.”

-  Executive Book Summaries

“Everyone has a bully in his life or will have one. Horn’s terrific book shows you how to deal.”

- Jeffrey J. Fox, author of How to Become a Great Boss

Would you like to:

Then You Want To Become a Certified Tongue Fu!® - Take The Bully by the Horns Trainer

1. Why would I want to become a certified Tongue Fu!® - Take the Bully by the Horns Trainer?

If you are an entrepreneur, it gives you a competitive edge. Meeting planners and convention coordinators want programs that have a respected track record of results.  They want to be able to trust that you’ll offer tangible value so their members and participants get their money’s worth.

With Tongue Fu!® and Take the Bully by the Horns, you don’t have to start at the beginning and build a reputation from scratch.  You don’t have to spend years developing your own intellectual property by researching, interviewing people and crafting curriculum.  You don’t have to work so hard to establish and prove yourself as a viable option. You get to trade off the international reputation of these topics and offer something that already is in demand.

If you’re an internal Training Director, Customer Service Coordinator, or Personnel Specialist, you have the confidence of providing employees and peers with specific techniques they can apply immediately at work and at home. Participants are motivated to put what they learn into practice right away and they’re inspired to continue using these ideas which results in improved relationships with colleagues and clients.  That translates into better morale and bottom line profits for your organization. 

Becoming a Certified Tongue Fu!® - Take the Bully by the Horns Trainer can also help you:

2. Why is Sam certifying people in her trademarked topics?

The good news is, Sam has more requests to speak than she can handle, and she is busy writing other books and presenting programs on her new topic POP! Stand Out in Any Crowd which has received rave reviews from Mark Sanborn, (The Fred Factor,) NY Times bestselling author Seth Godin and Ken Blanchard, and Edelman Senior Vice President Marilynn Mobley.

We want the Tongue Fu!® - Take the Bully by the Horns message to continue to reach as many people as possible. Plus, HR directors and other professionals have come to us asking how they can legally incorporate these trademarked techniques into their in-house and public programs.

In addition to certifying Tongue Fu!® - Take the Bully by the Horns ambassadors around the world, we have established a Tongue Fu!® - Take the Bully by the Horns Speakers Bureau. When we receive inquiries about a speaking engagement that isn’t a match for Sam’s schedule or fee, we refer them to one of our Certified Trainers who is a fit for their needs. (You receive 75% of that fee; we receive 25% for brokering the deal.)

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3. What’s special about Sam Horn’s approach to dealing with difficult people?

Sam’s unique methodology for dealing with difficult people is based on original research. She’s interviewed thousands of people around the country – front desk clerks, waiters, HR directors, attorneys, taxi drivers, parents, teachers, executives – and asked them, “How do you calm someone down who’s upset?  What do you do if two employees have a personality conflict?  How do you get someone to stop talking and listen?”  

She has taken these “real-world” suggestions and forged them into an easy-to-remember-and-apply approach that produces amazing results.  This approach doesn’t waste time on abstract theories that don’t work in the real world.  It features specific suggestions on exactly what to say and do in dozens of challenging situations people face on a daily basis on and off the job.

Sam has trademarked her approach to communication, which means people must be certified in order to teach it.  Her pioneering methodology for turning conflict into cooperation has received rave reviews from hundreds of corporate and convention clients including  NASA, U.S. Navy, the IRS, State of Hawaii, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Kaiser Permanente, Loma Linda University, American Bankers Association, ASAE, and Young Presidents Organization.

Her Tongue Fu!®  and Take the Bully by the Horns books (both from St. Martin’s Press) have been published in more than ten languages, received enthusiastic reviews from such best-selling authors as John Gray, Tony Robbins, Dave Pelzer, and Susan Jeffers, featured  on every major national TV and radio network including such shows as Jay Leno’s Tonight Show, Dr. Laura, WGN, and NPR and favorably reviewed in dozens of publications including Chicago Tribune.

What’s this mean for you?  Instead of having to “re-invent the wheel” and create your own intellectual capital from scratch, you get to offer ideas that have already gained worldwide respect and media attention.  You get to offer a popular topic that is already in demand with meeting planners, professional associations, corporations, non-profit organizations and school districts.

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4. Why are the Tongue Fu!® - Take the Bully by the Horns programs so successful?

One of the reasons Tongue Fu!® and Take the Bully by the Horns presentations are so well-received by audiences is because they don’t offer meaningless platitudes.

They’re based on the premise that most people aren’t taught how to deal with difficult people.  We’re taught math, science, and history, but we’re not taught what to do if someone calls us a name.  We’re not taught how to fairly and firmly say no, how to deliver bad news, break up an argument, and think on our feet when someone does something unfair or inappropriate.

As a result, many of us are tongue-tied or tongue-twisted when faced with sensitive situations.  We either say the first thing that comes to mind –which often makes the situation worse – or we don’t say anything at all – which also makes the situation worse.

The beauty of Tongue Fu!® and Take the Bully by the Horns is they provide real-life responses to challenging situations, responses we wish we’d been taught years ago. Finally, we know how to deal with difficult people – without becoming one ourselves. We know what to say to pushy people -- instead of thinking of the perfect response on the way home.

Why Should I get Certified in Both Tongue Fu!® - Take the Bully by the Horns?

We are offering a dual-certification in Tongue Fu!® - Take the Bully by the Horns because we believe BOTH communication approaches are needed when dealing with confrontations.

Tongue Fu!® is based on the belief that 95% of difficult behavior is situational.  This person is upset because someone’s gone wrong and you just happen to be their lightning rod.  If we handle this type of situation diplomatically and use win-win communication, we can usually turn it around and move forward to an amicable resolution.  Tongue Fu!® offers specific words that can actually prevent people from becoming difficult in the first place. If they’re already upset, its recommended responses have the power to turn hostility into harmony so you can, as Jack Canfield said in his endorsement, “get along with just about anyone, anytime, anywhere.”

Take the Bully by the Horns focuses on the other 5% of difficult behavior. Bullies deliberately mistreat others because they want what they want when they want it and they don’t care what they have to do or who they have to hurt to get it. They don’t want to cooperate, they want to control. Their mistreatment of others isn’t situational, it’s strategic.  It isn’t innocent, it’s intentional.

What’s different about Sam’s approach is that it dares to suggest that win-win approaches often backfire with bullies.  Why?  Bullies don’t want a win-win, they want to win.  Unfortunately, the nicer you are to bully, they meaner s/he will be to you. So, what to do?  Most other “bully experts” suggest you report a bully’s mistreatment to the HR department.

A therapist may suggest you “empathize with the bully and understand s/he comes from a dysfunctional family and doesn’t know any better.”  A parent may suggest a child “tell their teacher” if someone bothers them.

Unfortunately, these well-intended recommendations often don’t work.  They leave the person being bullied feeling helpless, hopeless, and alone with their problem.  That’s why so many people have called Sam’s approach to this topic life-saving.  The Take the Bully by the Horns methodology shows how to stand up and speak up for yourself and hold bullies accountable for their behavior.  It is based on the notion that you have the right to be treated with respect – and it your responsibility to let people know that inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.  

What Type of Presentations Would I be Certified to Give?

The sample description below shows what’s normally covered in a typical Tongue Fu!® - Take the Bully by the Horns presentation.  You are welcome to teach these programs separately or together.  You are certified to teach them in a variety of formats -- a 20 minute luncheon presentation to your local service club, a 45 minute convention keynote, a 90 minute public seminar, a half or full day workshop, or a weekend intensive training retreat.

We recommend formats that have worked well with other clients, however you are welcome and encouraged to add your own examples and use your own stories to make this material your own.

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5.  What is normally covered in a Tongue Fu!® - Take the Bully by the Horns presentation?

Tongue Fu! ®  - Take the Bully by the Horns

Would you like to:

• know what to say - when you don't know what to say? 
• prevent time-consuming mistakes and misunderstandings?
• learn how to quickly resolve complaints?
• Get along better with just about anyone, anytime, anywhere?

If so, you’ll love Tongue Fu!® 

Isn’t it ironic?  We’re taught math, science, and history in school – we’re not taught how to communicate in a way that turns conflict into cooperation.  We’re not taught what to say when someone blames us for something that’s not our fault; how to respond when someone makes an unfair/untrue accusation, or how to tactfully interrupt a non-stop talker.

This fascinating presentation doesn’t rehash platitudes that don’t work in the real world.  One of the reasons it’s received rave reviews from organizations such as Hewlett-Packard, the IRS, Boeing and Young Presidents Organization is because it shares real-life responses you can use immediately at work, at home, and in your community.  You’ll learn exactly what to say and do to:

• End arguments by focusing on solutions, not fault
• Persuade other people to stop, listen, and see your point of view
• Keep from saying something you regret in the heat of the moment
• Defuse tense situations with appropriate humor
• Clear up complaints with the AAA Train
• Choose your battles so you know when to speak up and when to put a sock in it 
• Coach vs. criticize performance so people learn instead of lose face over mistakes
• Not let rude pushy people ruin your day (life!)

Find out for yourself why the book on this topic has been sold around the world (China, Australia, Singapore, England, etc.), why John Gray (Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus) said, "Tongue Fu! puts a new twist on communication,” and why Executive Book Summaries said it “is a goldmine for anyone who deals with the public.”

By request, this presentation can also feature ways to handle verbal bullies. If you’ve tried everything from compassion to logic with a particularly challenging individual and nothing’s worked, chances are that person’s a bully.  Learn how to hold that person accountable for their behavior and let them know, in no uncertain terms, that their abusive behavior will not tolerated.

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6. When and where is the next certification program?

East Coast Program:  Saturday & Sunday, September 6-7 , Conveniently located in Washington DC

Specific location and comprehensive hour-by-hour agenda provided upon request/registration. Each program is limited to 8 participants to maximize the experience for attendees and to ensure their particular goals are met.

Can’t make our scheduled sessions? Sam occasionally agrees to provide certification for private clients or specific organizations.  Call Cheri Grimm at our California office at 1 800 SAM-3455 to get all your questions answered and to sign up for our next program.

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7. What do I receive as part of my certification training?

You will get everything you need to immediately start teaching Take the Bully by the Horns and Tongue Fu!®, which Executive Book Summaries said “adds to the legacy of ideas on how to deal with people left by Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, and Dale Carnegie.” This includes:

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8. What is the cost of certification?

$3500** This includes the 2 full-day Tongue Fu!® - Take the Bully by the Horns Certification Institute with hands-on instruction from Sam Horn; all course materials including hand-outs and teaching manual; marketing and AV materials; articles, discounts on Sam Horn’s products for resale, and complementary copy of her Tongue Fu!® -Take the Bully by the Horns books & CD’s.

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9.  How can I apply to become certified?

Click Here for Application