Talking your way out of trouble

When was the last time you faced an uncomfortable interview, when your mind went blank after a crucial question was asked or you uttered a clumsy sentence that you didn't mean to? The chances are that this has happened to you at some time or other, whether it be at a job interview, an appraisal interview, or with a work colleague when a problem is a disciplinary one, or where an area of conflict needs to be resolved.