Customer Reviews

The Art of Winning Conversation

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can honestly say that this book has been a huge help to me in a variety of business situations. I used to dread being selected to run meetings and make client presentations. Stettner's suggestions have given me a lot more confidence and a much stronger ability to organize what I'm saying and make points persuasively. Learning to listen more effectively has also helped me in a number of difficult one-on-one negotiations. Unlike the reader below, I found the book to be well-organized and interesting throughout. Stettner's common-sense approach makes for a refreshingly non-technical read. I'd recommend it to anyone.

I've read many, many books with a somewhat similar topic and I have to truly compliment Mr. Stettner for this one. This book will definitely help you in your daily dealing with people, family members and especially for those working in corporate world. It prepares you and provides pointers that help you strategize your thoughts before speaking. As Mr. Stettner would say "Prepare, Listen and Speak". For my job as a Public Affairs person, I am extremely please with the suggestions in the book. Personally and professional, I value this book as a "wise" investment and one that I will refer back to for a long time.

A superior book on interpersonal communications, with an emphasis on being persuasive.

The "winning" in the title refers to "winning people over" and to the "win-win" approach that Stettner so energetically advocates.

Proposes a three-step model for effective persuasion: prepare, listen, and then speak. Wisely accentuates the first two stages, which are typically ignored or inadequately addressed by ineffectual persuaders.

Furnishes first-rate material on establishing credibility, employing "the magic of three," listening nonjudgmentally (particularly under less-than-ideal conditions--e.g., when we find the speaker annoying or the message distasteful), asking questions effectively (going well beyond the standard open-versus-closed discussions), and exhibiting enthusiasm.

Highly recommended.

rereading this book after a few years. a lot of wishful thinking involved in this book. doesn't really apply to real world situations. listening 80 percent of the time and speaking 20 percent only works if you are in the power position. and if you're in the power position, you don't really need to be that persuasive to begin with. there's a section that's titled "how to overcome resistance so people say yes 90 percent of the time." then he talks about lowering expectations and says it's impossible to overcome resistance all the time. ridiculous and misleading title for a section. now that i am depending on persuading people for a living, i recognize this book for the soft carebear useless drivel that it is.

The book is filled with plenty useful advice but it is so poorly organized that its potential effectiveness is marginalized. I had hoped to learn some key strategies and tools to use in a converstation. However, I spent most of my time trying to understand how each little tidbit of advice fit into the bigger picture of actually starting and controlling a conversation. Somewhere amongst all the advise are the key elements to becoming a better communicator but its left to the reader to assemble them into a practical guide to conversation.