How To Talk to Anybody About Anything: Breaking the Ice With Everyone from Accountants to Zen Buddhists

by Leil Lowndes

Reveals the most appropiate, provocative, and specific questions to ask members of specific groups, such as ballroom dancers, cosmetic surgeons, and tennis players, in order to communicate effectively

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Communication, Business, Psychology

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1993

About the author

Leil Lowndes is an author and internationally recognized communications expert who specializes in subconscious interactions. She has conducted hundreds of seminars in the US and around the world for major corporations, associations, and the general public, and frequently appears as a guest expert on national television shows and major news networks. She has authored ten bestselling books on communications — most recently, How to Talk to Anyone at Work: 72 Little Tricks for Big Success Communicating on the Job — and is published in over 26 foreign languages. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Pablo · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first thing you need to know about this book is that it's a dictionary. It's a dictionary of professions, hobbies and other activities. For each of the you have a list of question to ask to the person that practices that activity. Some examples: lawyers, dancers, filatelists, doctors, etc.

I think it's not that useful unless you have a very good memory. It emphasises vocabulary which I found interesting, but again, you need to have very good memory. Another problem it suffers is that in some aspects it's terrible out of date. That's unavoidable with fields that change a lot or fields that are not so strict (vocabulary changes).

One thing I certainly didn't like is that the author seems to make fun of the people performing those activities in the introductory comments. At first it was fun, but it quickly became distateful.

[Anna]

This is so helpful and thoughtful, but it’s from 1993 so it occasionally unintentionally *hilarious*.
“Talking with computer users. What are you using your computer for? What’s your favorite laptop? Do you use any graphics? Do you have windows? Did the graphics for? Do you belong to any of the computer networks? “

[D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the 1993 version which is very out of date. A list of hobbies and professions with primers on terminology that would have been important and concerns the individuals would have had in the early 90s. Interesting time capsule.

[Lunalemon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real good, got some darn good tips out of this one~

[Pierre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read, lots of repetitions (as in many American self improvement books)

[Olivia Babinov · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, fun read with practical tips on making conversation and being more congenial in everyday interactions.