The One Book Everybody Needs To Read

We recently went for a long drive from New Jersey to Maine. The day before, we started thinking about how to best pass the time. Despite a pretty extensive iTunes library, listening to music, we have already heard thousands of times, was not going to cut it. We wanted something that would engage our minds, so Jana suggested an audio book. Not having the longest attention span, Philipp was a bit skeptical at first. He went online and searched, and searched, and searched some more, and just couldn't find a book that would do it for us. Well, one that would do it for him, really;)

Eventually, he passed through the bedroom and saw this book on his night stand:

It had been sitting there, collecting dust, for a while. He had read it twice before but that was years ago. We immediately thought it would be perfect for a long road trip. In fact, Jana hadn't read it and was excited about it right away. Long story short, we really enjoyed listening to it and here is what we thought:

Dale Carnegie wrote “How To Win Friends and Influence People” in 1937 and the book became one of the first self-help best-sellers. Carnegie was a writer and lecturer who specialized in courses on public speaking and interpersonal skills. Like its title, the book has influenced many, including Warren Buffett, who read it at age 20 and said, “It changed my life.” It is also said to have helped Charles Manson in learning how to manipulate women to kill for him…Either way, our purpose for reading this was on point with Buffett’s! 

All of Carnegie’s suggestions should be self-explanatory when dealing with any relationship, but sometimes we forget to follow these simple, yet important guidelines. Making a person feel appreciated and seeing a situation from their point of view will in turn create more enthusiasm from them to work with you.  They will learn to like you and will agree to your thoughts without feeling manipulated.  Most importantly, we learned from Carnegie that before criticizing another person, talk about your own mistakes. Showing vulnerability and empathy can quickly result in positive communication. Here are a few more key take-aways from the book: 

-Remember people’s names, because hearing their own name sounds important to them

-Don’t argue and learn to give in

-Research people’s interests before meeting them

-Smile

-Say thank you

Simple, right? We thought so and still fought over who was going to drive first! But really, it opened our minds and created dialogue between the two of us…for a seven hour car ride  hitting traffic hot-spots in NYC, Hartford and Boston - and you know how aggravating that can be!

In our opinion, listening to this book, versus reading it, is better as you can turn it on while commuting anywhere. The narrator speaks, and you listen. Easy! The only one thing we would have changed was the transitioning 'elevator' music between chapters. 

Let us know what you think!

If you really want to kick it up a notch on your interpersonal skills, visit one of the many courses at Dale Carnegie Training. For more information, visit DaleCarnegie.com or at facebook.com/Dale.Carnegie.Training.Leadership.