Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 16
 Misunderstood! . . . this is an excellent book! December 23, 2008
mj (Chicago, IL)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book should be used as a companion to her other book, "How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships." It seems that all the people who are giving this book bad reviews are actually looking for the material in this other book. Once you have read the other book, you will understand how this book is useful, and you will be very glad she wrote it because you will have a need for it. This book is almost more like an exercise that expands upon some of the points covered in this other book (which, by the way, is excellent).
UNIQUE & FABULOUS - Just look at the Table of Contents! February 28, 2007
Art Burgess (Chicago, Illinois)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I've never read anything like this. It's the magic potent for sounding like an insider in every crowd -- even if you have nothing in common. It gives the right words and the right questions to ask everybody. And it's written very tongue-in-cheek. The book is a MUST for salespeople or anyone else in a job where they need to establish fast rapport with people.
Suppose you have a customer who is an Astrology buff, a Bird Watcher, a Bowler, A Rock Climber, a Hang Glider -- even a Bungee Jumper. Du'h. Whadda you going to say to them?
This book gives you the answers.
Or suppose you're intimidate by a beautiful Model, Actress, Dancer, or Flight Attendant? This book helps you over the hump and gives you just the right thing to say to sound like a knowledgable big shot.
Suppose you're at a party and find yourself intimidated by speaking to a highly respected and intimidating Doctor, Lawyer, Scientist or Brain Surgeon? Don't worry. You can sound knowledgable and very cool.
At first I was astounded that the book got such bad reviews on Amazon. Now I understand why. The title is misleading. Those readers thought they were getting the techniques to talk with anyone. (For that, buy Lowndes' much more recent book with a similar title,, "How to Talk to Anyone." Definitely get that one if you want techni ques for conversing and communicating. It's fabulous for that.)
So, concerning this book, don't make the same mistake those other readers made. This one is NOT the one general communicating advice. But it is a fabulous and list of things to say to a wide variety of people. It's the answer for feeling speechless in any occasion.
Great rapport and mingling tool! December 25, 2006
Daryl Willard (Sumner, WA United States)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
PROS: This is a 4.5 star review, but I don't get that option. I found the content of this book to be an excellent resource for establishing rapport and understanding with people I meet. Yes, it's true that you won't memorize every single question that's in the book. At least though, when you meet someone like a pilot or musician, key phrases will pop into mind and jog your memory. You will understand where they come from, and you will be able to have honest conversation about THEM without the blank stare. As a martial arts instructor, I can instantly tell if someone understands slightly what I do based on their questions in conversation. If someone asks "What style do you practice?" or "What's your training lineage," I know that I'm talking to someone educated about it.
CONS: My only qualm with this book is that its title is too close to Lowndes' other book, "How to Talk to Anyone." The title for this book should be "How to Break the Ice with Anyone: 150 questions to get people talking." It would have also helped if each section had a paragraph on what subjects and "outsider questions" to avoid. For me, nothing says "I don't know anything about your craft" like the question "How many boards can you break?" or "Hapkido? It's Karate right?"
Overall, I highly recommend this book as a supplement to "How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Steps for Big Success in Relationships."
Read it!!! June 12, 1999
1 out of 8 found this review helpful
If you want to become a better conversationalist this is the book for you. It goes through over 500 different occupations... giving you all the inside information you need to talk easily with anyone, anywhere, anytime. This isn't a book to be read cover to cover, it's a book that can be read 5 min. a day. However you read it this book may change your life forever.
 This books is more like a reference! July 27, 2000
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
This is only a good book if you want to start a conversation with stranger! It is a good follow up to Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People" where the point is "To be interested in other people so that others will be interested in you". However it doesn't outline what you should talk about from front to back. It only gives sample questions about what you should talk about with a list of a few hundred professions. So buy the book if your point is to "Start a conversation", but don't expect the book to carry you through the whole nine yards. So think of it as a reference guide, not a book about "conversation" per se.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 16
|
