How To Be Interesting: Simple Ways to Increase Your Personal Appeal

by David Gillespie

An irreverent, colourful guide to becoming more interesting and successful by gaining self-knowledge and building your confidence and charisma In addition to having scads of acting and writing credits between them, actor David Gillespie and writer Mark Warren are co-founders of a unique organization. Called The Speechworks, it is a group of performance-based professionals who draw upon their professional expertise to teach clients―including businesspeople, sports stars, politicians, actors, writers and celebrities―the skills they need to communicate more effectively, to impress others with charisma and find greater success at work and in life. In this wildly funny, irreverent and practical guide they share their proprietary formula for achieving a heightened and sustained level of interestingness.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

David Gillespie is a recovering corporate lawyer, former co-founder of a successful software company and investor in several software startups.

He is also the father of six young children (including one set of twins). With such a lot of extra time on his hands, and 40 extra kilos on his waistline, he set out to investigate why he, like so many in his generation, was fat.

He deciphered the latest medical findings on diet and weight gain and what he found was chilling. Being fat was the least of his problems. He needed to stop poisoning himself.

His first book, Sweet Poison, published in 2008 is widely credited with starting the current Australian wave of anti-sugar sentiment.

Reviews

[Kamal · Rating 1 out of 5]

The last thing the literate world needs are two old British white men who think that they are authorities on the matter of "interest" when in actuality they know nothing. That is my assessment of this book and its authors, who resemble Statler and Waldorf (of The Muppet Show) if they had decided to become life coaches. The book is surprisingly hypocritically, unoriginal and boring, cribbing heavily from the great classics on human relations and creativity How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie and Edward De Bono's How to Be More Interesting. They meretriciously dress up these classics, in a mind-mapping, info-graphical, sound-byte-laden dog's breakfast whose sole purpose is to make these tired old men (and their silly musings) seem hip. If you actually want to become "interesting" (whatever that means), go straight to De Bono and Carnegie and bypass this turd. If you are looking for more lighthearted, contemporary approach to the subject, check out How to be Interesting by Jessica Hagy or How to Be An Explorer of the World by Keri Smith. You'll get better results for sure.

[Em · Rating 1 out of 5]

Step 1 in how to be interesting: don't waste time reading this book.

It may be useful if you're from another planet and have never interacted with a human being before. Otherwise it's just a jumbled mess consisting of stating the obvious and repeating other people's ideas.

[David Daigneault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book!! (For people who need to be interesting)

[Piritta · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not interesting. Yes, it demanded my complete attention, because the layout was awful - who decided that gray text against light orange is a good idea? Why have so much empty space and a size 8 font? I didn't expect much and didn't get really anything. The book about interesting people was simply a dull salad of other people's shortened ideas.

[Ionut · Rating 2 out of 5]

This little book looked appealing to me because (yeah) all of us want to be more interesting. In my opinion, a more suitable title would be "Things that might make you interesting". Despite of some interesting ideas and quotations, the book does not offer a substantial reading. Overall, documentation and execution are poor.

[Haya ald56 · Rating 4 out of 5]

الي اعجبني بالكتاب التصميم و تسلسل المعلومات لكن كا كتاب لتطوير الذات لا الكلام عادي لكن مثير حبيت القصص و المواقع الي ذكرهم لشخصية و كتاب عن التأثير على الأصدقاء

[Chris Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read through, other books brought up to add to my list.
I feel it give a good overview of its subject.
10/10 will read again maybe in a year.

[Shannon McGuire · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was not very interesting.

[samyee]

I browsed it casually, but the graphic indeed is eye’s catching

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty quick read. More of a flick through summary of other research well laid out.

[Dr Mohamed Ibrahim, MBA, Ph.D · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب رائع بجد بالرغم من إن عنوانه ساذج وغير جذاب. الكتاب كله تطوير لشخصية الإنسان مع الناس إللي حوليه. إزاي تملى حياة اللي حوليك كلها فرح وسعادة.
ربنا يبارك في المؤلفين.

1- ننزع كبشر نحو الحكم على الآخر من وظيفته، لا من شخصيته، وهو فخ يسقط فيه الجميع. فإذا افترضنا أن شهادة جامعة ما مرموقة، يصبح كل من يحملها أو حتى يلتحق ببرامجها ويدرس مناهجها شخصا مرموقًا وجذابًا.
وهذا ليس صحيحًا دائمًا، ولا حتى غالبًا. فإن كانت وظيفة المحاسب مملة، فجميع المحاسبين مملُّون، مع أن
الحقيقة ليست كذلك. فكل تعميم في هذا العالم خاطئ، بما في ذلك هذا التعميم. فنحن نعلم أن كثيرًا من العاملين في مجالات الحسابات والشؤون المالية والاقتصادية والإحصاء بعيدون - مثل غيرهم عن تلك الصفة. وهم بالأحرى أناس ظرفاء، وذوو معرفة، فضلاً عن كونهم قيمة مضافة إلى كل المؤسسات وكل الأوقات.
فنحن لا نستطيع حقًا تقييم أي شخص بمعيار وظيفته فقط، فليس كل من يشغل وظيفة رائعة شخصا رائعًا دائمًا، وليس كل من يشغل وظيفة حسابية أو تحليلية شخصا صعب المراس أيضا.
نحن نستطيع اكتساب صفة الجاذبية بغض النظر عن ما هي أدوارنا الوظيفية. فالناس لا يفقدون صفة الجاذبية حين يحالون إلى التقاعد، بل إنهم يكتسبون من المعارف والخبرات ما يجعلهم أكثر جذبًا للانتباه، ومحط أنظار وحب وإعجاب من هم أصغر سنًا.
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2- ومن المعروف أنه ليس للقيادة علاقة بمركز الإنسان، لكنها تتعلق أكثر بقدرته على التصرف مهما كان مركزه. فالقائد ليس الشخص الذي يوجه الناس نحو ما يجب أن يفعلوا، فهذا يخفض مكانته المعنوية في ذهن المحيطين به إلى درجة “مدير”. يستطيع القائد توحيد الأهداف، وتوجيه المسارات، وتحديد دور كل فرد
على حدة، بحيث يتناسب مع شخصيته وميوله.
ولكل قائد قضية نبيلة ورؤية وفضيلة يؤمن بها. ولذلك يستطيع أن يغوص في أعماق مريديه ليستكشف، كل ما يهمهم ويحفزهم. ومن خلال هذا الاكتشاف، يتخذون قرارات يلتزمون بها، ويتحمسون لها. ولأن الحماس ينتشر انتشار النار في الهشيم. فحين نستمع إلى حديث شخص متقد الحماس، فإننا نشعر بمشاعره. بيد أنه يجب علينا عدم تبني كل معتقداته، بل تبني فكرة بعينها فقط لأنه يؤمن بها، مما يجعل الموضوع أكثر جذبًا للانتباه.
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3- “لكي تصبح قائدًا.. رائدًا، آمن بفكرة بعينها واجذب الجذابين إليك و إليها. فالقادة يقودون القادة، والجذابون يجذبون الجذابين؛ كما أن الطيور على أشكالها تقع.”

[Haruka · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who is at the opposite end of funny, I have to say, the cover design and the words "how to be interesting" attracted me the moment I came across the book.
But quite frankly, this books doesn't actually teach you how you become that magical word "interesting", just as the authors noted in the beginning denying the "how-to" nature of the book.
So it's more of a book that opens up your mind, throwing out insightful and motivating hints to being interesting. What I am getting at is that this piece prepares you to think proactively by giving you stimulation, as opposed to some other books that comfortably makes you reactive by directly guiding you.
And how we define interesting is by all means relative, and there's no one-size fits it all method to it. So, I guess this book does know what it's talking about.

[Issa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not so … interesting. It came across as too didactic, blathering lessons we already know about or can easily search up on the Web. I mean, left-brain—right-brain theory, really? There are also the Myers–Briggs Type Indicators and “types of listening” (active listening, distracted listening, selective listening...). *zzzzzzzzz* Pretty sure no one came here for that. The book doesn't make for great, substantial reading or tell you things you likely don't know.

The survey answers were interesting, though, and the visuals are great. A fair effort by the authors, but the book itself can hardly be considered an authority on the subject.

[Jean-Renaud Cherubin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy Read and Good message...
I really enjoyed this book and was able to take away the main message: to be more interesting you have to find the interestingness in other people and show you are interested in them.
There are some other ways to make yourself more interesting and this was a easy read so I was able to apply some of the things they suggested as soon as possible. I am from the US and found some of their UK humor very interesting.
If you are looking for a quick read to get the brain flowing again I recommend this book.
Thanks
Angel

[Pierre Mercier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does not have to be read in a linear way.......

[Ahmad Ashkanani]

easy to read, not boring, i really enjoyed reading it.

[Linda Wu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, a boring book.

[Nora · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book due to its fun layout, but the content was hugely unoriginal. Read "How to win friends and influence people" instead

[Hiu Ying]

#1。2022/07/03 書展

[Alara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too brief to merit more stars but a quick and interesting read. It has some key reflecting points and even if it states the obvious, I found it useful to be reminded.