I love books. I always have and I always will.
I've owned this website for more than a decade but I've never talked about my love for books because I started writing here specifically for beauty purposes.
We've gone full circle and it is time I shared more of myself than you already know.
So, here goes.
The first book I'm going to be reviewing is Larry King's How To Talk To Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere
Rating ****
I bought this book at a time in my life when I knew that there was no way I was going to let myself be stuck. I figured that since Larry King had spoken to hundreds of important people whose words the world stopped to hear, there is no one else I'd like to get advice from than him.
This book is filled with practical information and knowledge right from the first page. Larry King shares knowledge from his wealth of experience on everything that pertains to talking to people - from the personal traits you need to talk, how to get people's attention, how to sell, how to upgrade your vocabulary, how to speak on radio and on television, how to get other people to speak, entertaining a dinner table, even how to talk at a job interview.
Using anecdotes and examples of people (some dead now), who he has interviewed, Larry King not only tells us how to talk but shows us how and when to talk in a certain way. I also like that he understands the importance of body language and includes it in his tips as well.
My favourite chapter is chapter 5 and while the aim is not to give spoilers, I like this chapter because for the majority of people - Gen Z - included, can relate most to this chapter. Below is an excerpt of what the chapter is about.
I also wanted to share some of the things I learned from this book and here are 5 of them:
- Stop using empty words. otherwise called 'nothing words' by Larry. These are quite popular but when you think about it, they add nothing to the message you are trying to pass across. Some of them are you know, basically, as in (I'm very, very, very guilty of this but in my defence, I use more as an exclamation), basically, hopefully, whatever
- Be interested. wondering how this relates to talking to people? Only when they know you are really interested in what they have to say will they talk to you, I mean 'really' talk to you and not over you. This is indirectly tied to listening. Listen to people when they talk and you'll learn tons about them.
- Be honest. say it as it is. Don't try to sugarcoat it, cover it, explain it away or anything of the sort. Just be open - I forgot, I made a mistake, this went wrong and that's why that couldn't happen, I can't afford it and the list goes on. A lot goes wrong in the world today because we prefer to paint a picture over what the reality is.
- Ask people about themselves FIRST. that's the only way to get them to relax and open up to you. Thinking back, I realise that this tip has been used on me a lot more times than I've been able to use it. Now, I can't wait to be able to use it when I go out and meet people.
- Learn to use open-ended questions. the opposite of open-ended questions is yes/no questions and the responses are monosyllabic. I'm sure that is not what you are gunning for. So craft questions as open-ended ones so responses are qualitative and quantitative.
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