How To Talk To Absolutely Anyone, 2nd Edition

How To Talk To Absolutely Anyone, 2nd Edition

by Mark Rhodes
Released November 2017
Publisher(s): Capstone
ISBN: 9780857087454

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Talk to anyone, anytime, about anything — with confidence.

How to Talk to Absolutely Anyone is your personal handbook for stepping up your communication game. Part confidence coach and part social manual, this book reveals the reasons behind your reserve and offers real, practical ways to break through the barriers and make a connection. Whether you fear judgement and rejection or just don't know what to say, these simple exercises will equip you with a gold mine of social tools to get you through any situation. This new second edition has been updated to include the complete 30-day Zero to Hero Personal Confidence Course, to help you build your skills and increase your chances of getting what you want out of any conversation. Working step-by-step, you'll learn how to approach strangers, strike up a conversation and exit gracefully; by first changing your outlook, you develop the ability to navigate even tricky situations with confidence and ease.

Conversation skills affect more than your social life — they can impact your career as well. In removing your social hesitance, you open up a whole new world of effective communication with customers and colleagues, and begin building the relationships that get you closer to your goals. This book provides real-world techniques to help you get better and better every day, enabling you to:

  • Overcome your fear of rejection.
  • Strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere.
  • Open up to make real connections and build strong rapport.
  • Carry your confidence into networking, sales and more.

Leave the days of awkwardness behind you. Stop running away from uncomfortable interactions and start getting comfortable instead. Whether you need to close the deal, build contacts or just make small talk at a party, How to Talk to Absolutely Anyone helps you build the confidence and skills you need to talk your way to success.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. About the Author
  4. Foreword by Armand Beasley
  5. Introduction: Why You Should Want to Talk to Absolutely Anyone
    1. Communication Is All About Understanding
    2. We Notice Different Things
  6. PART ONE: Common Fears and Barriers about Talking to Absolutely Anyone
    1. 1 Fear – Does It Hold You Back?
      1. What Exactly Is Fear?
      2. Your Mindset – The Biggest Potential Barrier
      3. Conclusion
    2. 2 “I Don't Want to Experience Rejection”
    3. 3 “I Worry about What Other People Might Think”
      1. What Others Might Think of Your Interaction
      2. Conclusion
    4. 4 “I Hate Talking to Strangers – Why Would I Want to?”
      1. Why Bother Talking to Strangers Anyway?
      2. You Already Speak to More Strangers Than You Think
      3. Conclusion
  7. PART TWO: The Four Stages of an Interaction
    1. 5 Stage 1 – Your Outcome and Starting a Conversation
      1. Know the Outcome You Want!
      2. Being Clear about Your Reasons for the Interaction
      3. When/Where – Based on the Environment
      4. Other Environments
      5. Who – Who Do We Talk to Based on Who Looks Approachable?
      6. The Curse of Getting Started
    2. 6 How – How Do You Mentally and Physically Approach?
      1. Own Your Environment
      2. Mental: Visualize
      3. Mental: The Other Person's Emotional State
      4. Mental: Frames
      5. Physical: How to Physically Approach Someone
      6. Physical: Getting Their Attention
      7. Physical: Opening Styles
      8. One More Thing
    3. 7 What – What Do You Say?
      1. Types of Opening Statements
      2. Pace Their Reality or Meet Them Where They Are!
      3. Spot the Start of Their Engagement
      4. Keep It Simple with People You've Never Met Before
      5. Topic Hints and Conversation Hijacking
      6. Avoid Classic Chitchat for too Long
    4. 8 Stage 2 – Creating Curiosity and Interest
      1. Leading Their Imagination
      2. The Power of Stories
    5. 9 Stage 3 – Making a Connection and Being Understood
      1. Being Understood – An Example
      2. “What's Important to You?”
      3. Making it Easier for People to Understand What You're Saying
      4. What Words Are They Using?
      5. Decision Strategies
      6. Dealing with Questions
      7. How Much Detail?
      8. The Balance of Consistency and Variety
      9. A Little Recognition and Appreciation Goes a Long Way
      10. Are You Really Listening?
    6. 10 Stage 4 – Get Them to Take Action
      1. Motivation
      2. Talk as if It's Going to Happen
      3. Capture Their Imagination
      4. Have the Expectation of a Good Outcome
      5. Go For It!
      6. Narrow Choices Are Best!
      7. Objections
      8. Conclusion
      9. Summary of the Stages of an Interaction
  8. PART THREE: Making Your Communication Even Better
    1. 11 Making Your Voice Work for You
      1. Tonality
      2. Speed of Talking
      3. Pauses
      4. Intonation
    2. 12 Common Pitfalls
      1. I Got a Bad Response and Didn't Know How to Handle the Situation
      2. Avoid Explaining too Much
      3. Use “But” with Caution
      4. Respond, Rather Than React
    3. 13 Difficult Work and Business Conversations
      1. A Difficult Meeting
      2. Broken Promises, Missed Deadlines and Similar Situations
      3. The Price Has Gone Up
      4. The Art of Delegating
      5. Work Done Badly
      6. Tricky Appraisals
      7. Resistance
      8. Dealing with Critical Comments
      9. “I'd Rather Not Discuss That”
    4. 14 Final Thoughts
      1. Confidence
      2. Start Talking . . .
      3. Your “Zero to Hero Talk to Anyone” Development Plan
  9. PART FOUR: 31 Day “Zero To Hero” Talk To Absolutely Anyone Plan
  10. Blog Articles and YouTube
  11. Index
  12. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: How To Talk To Absolutely Anyone, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Mark Rhodes
  • Release date: November 2017
  • Publisher(s): Capstone
  • ISBN: 9780857087454