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31 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Basic and Specifics of Talking in Various Situations., August 4, 2005
This review is from: The Art of Talking to Anyone: Essential People Skills for Success in Any Situation (Paperback)
Much of life starts with conversation. To some of us it comes easy, to some of us it is very difficult. Perhaps the hardest is the conversation at a job interview, or that first conversation with someone to whom you are attracted.
In the job interview, the interviewer will usually be asking questions. Your job is to provide the answers he wants to hear. Even if you decide you don't want the job, if you don't get an offer you don't get to decide.
In the romantic area it's really much easier. If both of you are interested, the conversation will flow - once you get it started. If the other person isn't interested, there isn't anything you can do to change it, move on to the next person. Getting it started is your job, and as with the other situations where you need help, this book will give you some good ideas. Good ideas of both things to say, and things not to say.
This book has eight chapters on the basics of being a good conversationalist. Then there are nine chapters on talking in various situations from the workplace to social events to talking with romance in mind. She knows what she is talking about.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great, January 27, 2009
This review is from: The Art of Talking to Anyone: Essential People Skills for Success in Any Situation (Paperback)
I enjoyed reading this book because of the actual examples it gives that you may adjust as you need to. Most other conversation books don't give you that, and to that effect, don't really help people that are trying to figure exactly what to say rather than just underlying concepts. Though much of the book may seem bland for those who don't like to take manners into account, it is written properly as it is. I highly recommend this book for novice/intermediate individuals who want to improve their conversation skills!
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10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
More annoying than helpful, June 22, 2007
This review is from: The Art of Talking to Anyone: Essential People Skills for Success in Any Situation (Paperback)
I have recently been into social dynamics and thought a book about the fine points of conversation would be helpful. Unfortunately, the book seems to be written by a prude who makes every effort to make your conversations as dull and boring as the book itself is.
Some major issues with the book.
a) Although "art" is the word chosen, most of the advice consists of things to avoid and in very specific detail (for example she says NEVER to say "to make a long story short")
b)More than half of the book text consists of assanine quotes from others that hardly relate to the subject as well as NUMEROUS and seemingly endless lists of statement examples (ie. "How nice of you" etc.) The author fails to realize that reading these are incredibly uninteresting and eliminate any sense of style one may develop. To top it off they are in alphabetical order which makes it easier to quickly glance over them.
c) The author seems to want to make you a parrot by telling you exactly how to respond in certain situations. She also often contradicts herself in these examples. She states to not say anything personal to anyone you meet yet reccomends a converstation starter as "you look fit, what do you do for a workout regiment".
Overall this book is a complete waste of time written by someone who I would never want to have a conversation with. She is so afraid of making a mistake that I would end up talking to her for an hour about the weather.
Conversations (at least socially) are meant to be fun, not exercises in safety. It is not the end of the world if you take a risk. It makes for a memorable conversation. I would avoid this book like SARS.
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