This is another of those books about how to talk to people in a variety of situations, this one written by a talk show host and, to use his words, professional talker. Much of what he says is sort of common sense, but common sense is easy to lose sight of in stressful situations. Some of the big tips are be prepared and be yourself. I'm not sure how much I actually learned, but the reminders of things I ought to already know were helpful, and the anecdotes made the book interesting and kept me hooked.
Showing posts with label conversation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conversation. Show all posts
Friday, July 24, 2015
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
The Fine Art of Small Talk, by Debra Fine
Summary: This book describes various techniques for how to improve your conversation skills, better connect with people, etc.
Comments: I think the other book I read with that description was better. The tone of this one rubbed me the wrong way. The focus of the seems to be "Since I figured out how to quit being horrible at the social thing, it's really easy and you can do it too". While believing in yourself is good, some more (or maybe more organized) tips on what to do would be more helpful. Maybe what not to do also, but what to do instead is more valuable.
Also, am I the only one who hates gratuitous use of your conversation partner's name? Or avoids friendly sounding/seeming stores (or at least judges them differently than she does)? Your examples of how to act aren't helpful when I disagree with how they make people feel!
Comments: I think the other book I read with that description was better. The tone of this one rubbed me the wrong way. The focus of the seems to be "Since I figured out how to quit being horrible at the social thing, it's really easy and you can do it too". While believing in yourself is good, some more (or maybe more organized) tips on what to do would be more helpful. Maybe what not to do also, but what to do instead is more valuable.
Also, am I the only one who hates gratuitous use of your conversation partner's name? Or avoids friendly sounding/seeming stores (or at least judges them differently than she does)? Your examples of how to act aren't helpful when I disagree with how they make people feel!
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends (Revised and Updated), by Don Gabor
Summary: I think the title is a pretty good summary of the book - it's focused on how to have effective conversations and how to make friends.
Thoughts: While I'm inclined to be skeptical about whether self-help books actually have anything helpful to say, I feel like this one actually does. Most of its suggestions are probably obvious in hindsight, but it's helpful to have them in written in one convenient place where it's harder to ignore that that's probably what I should be doing. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who thinks their ability to interact with people could use a pick-me-up. It's probably helpful for other kinds of people also, but I don't have experience to speak from there. Now the next question is whether I'll actually apply what I learned...
Thoughts: While I'm inclined to be skeptical about whether self-help books actually have anything helpful to say, I feel like this one actually does. Most of its suggestions are probably obvious in hindsight, but it's helpful to have them in written in one convenient place where it's harder to ignore that that's probably what I should be doing. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who thinks their ability to interact with people could use a pick-me-up. It's probably helpful for other kinds of people also, but I don't have experience to speak from there. Now the next question is whether I'll actually apply what I learned...
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