*ALMOST 1 MILLION SOLD!* Conversationally Speaking has become the most popular book in the world teaching conversation skills. Millions of people have used it to learn the secrets of effective communication. This revised edition provides more ways to improve your conversation skills by giving you strategies that work for starting conversations, asking questions that promote interaction, interesting people in what you have to say, listening so that others will be encouraged to talk, avoiding rejection-producing behavior, handling criticism constructively, and more.
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Everybody thinks that some people are born with the "gift of gab" and some people aren't. But the truth is there is no "gift of gab." People who are good at conversation just know a few simple skills that anyone can learn. This book will teach you those skills.
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Chapter 12 uniquely summarizes in 25 pages the life's work of famed psychologist Dr. Albert Ellis on overcoming shyness and becoming more confident- and does it so well it received praise from Dr. Ellis himself!
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Find out why Toastmaster Magazine calls Conversationally Speaking "the classic how-to book in social communication" and why Dr. Aaron Beck, whose work has had a major influence on thousands of psychologists, calls it "of great value for people who want to sharpen their skills in interpersonal relations." Click on the "Look Inside" feature above the cover picture and sample the book.
Alan Garner, MA, is a nationally known communications consultant and a longtime teacher. He has taught hundreds of "Conversationally Speaking" workshops and over 5 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide. This book teaches simple skills for doing well socially in everyday language, which is why it has been popular in its various editions for 37 years and has sold almost 1 million copies. ("Lifeskills for Adult Children," which Garner wrote with co-author Janet Woititz, adapts these skills for Adult Children of Alcoholics).
Carolyn Hax, a columnist for the "Washington Post" whose work appears in 200 newpapers, wrote: "Alan Garner is brilliant at teaching social skills to those who need or want to start at the beginning- who feel they somehow missed out on life classes that everyone else got to attend."
An Amazon reader: When I was a freshman at HSU in 1981 I didn't have a real conversation with anyone for the first six weeks. Nearly a hermit, I finally exchanged a "hello" and a few words with someone and was elated for days.
Knowing I needed lots of help in the conversation department, I looked for a book on how to talk with people. What I found was Alan Garner's first edition of CONVERSATIONALLY SPEAKING. Without a hint of hyperbole I can say that it changed my life. Over a relatively short period I became a highly skilled conversationalist and a highly sought after friend. As a stockbroker I ended up making a career out of the skills I learned in this book. Thank you Alan Garner.
An Amazon review: As someone who is not an efficient communicator, I am slowly learning through this book. It is truly amazing because it is so succinct in its descriptions of techniques. It has helped me become a better conversationalist, and has helped me connect deeper with my closest friends. This guy is a genius, and pretty funny. If you're the type that would need a book about conversations, this is the only one you will need, and I'm not joking.
An Amazon review from a reader:
There is so much good information in this book. It's true that some of it could be considered common sense, but it helped me a great deal to see the advice written concisely with clear examples. I consider myself shy and at times feel socially awkward, especially around people I don't know well. I bought this book specifically to help me interact socially with my coworkers. The techniques definitely worked. For example, there was one coworker I'd invited out a couple times and he'd politely rejected the offers. After reading the chapter about making invitations that are likely to be accepted, I tried asking him again, using the technique from the book, and guess what, he accepted. We are now friends and go out often. I really can't say enough good things about this book. Since reading this book and putting the information to use, I've also gotten a promotion and a raise at work. I can't say that the book is entirely responsible, but there's no question it helped. Try it. Definitely worth the time and money.
