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This is supposedly about conversation but sometimes veers a little too much towards self help and motivation and fear of failure which made me pause and scratch my head

jenbsbooks's review against another edition

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informative

3.25

This was included in the AudiblePlus catalog, and I figured I'd give a "self-help" non-fiction book a try. Honestly, they are a struggle for me, I want a STORY ;) I didn't really read the blurb, just the title heading, so I didn't realize this was first published in 1980, 40+ years ago. There were a few things that felt dated, but overall the information stands the test of time. Most of the information felt familiar ... too familiar. I've already heard all this, I know this ... not that a refresher is bad. I can see that this might be revelatory to some. It's how I felt about the Noom weight-loss program. Some people just loved it and felt it was so worthwhile, but to me ... I'd heard it all before, so it really didn't have a big impact (knowledge and actually DOING it are two different things). I'm not sure if it was my schooling (majored in Psychology) or just reading over the years (even though I'm a fiction gal when it comes to books, I did go through spurts of articles and discussions).

I went with the audio edition, and the narrator was very good ... dare I say, very "conversational" in his speaking ;) but it still got a little confusing at times, wondering if what was being said was a quote from a student, a sample/example, or the author talking. Despite the popularity - this book was not available at any of my libraries (although the audio was on Hoopla) for me to check out a Kindle copy. I did peek at the sample to see how some of the set up was in print, and I think portions might be a little more clear. Also, if one was really studying the topic, they might want to take notes and/or highlight portions.

Basically - the Table of Contents gives a good showcase of what was covered (1) Asking Questions that Promote Conversation(ie open ended questions). (2) Delivering Honest Positives (3) Listening So Others Will Talk (4) Taking Advantage of Free Information (5) Letting Others Know Who You Are (6) Starting Conversations (7) Issuing Invitations That Are Likely to be Accepted (8) Handling Criticism Constructively (9) Resisting Attempts at Manipulation (10) Requesting Change (11) Conveying Meaning by Motion (12) Reducing Anxiety in Social Situations (13) Organizing your Efforts

While "speaking/conversations" was a main topic, overall, this seemed more like a general "self-help" with much of the focus on positivity and setting goals.