How to Work a Room, Revised Edition: Your Essential Guide to Savvy Socializing | Date: 28 April 2011, 03:55
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How to Work a Room, Revised Edition: Your Essential Guide to Savvy Socializing
By Susan Roane
* Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
* Number Of Pages: 336
* Publication Date: 2007-05-01
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0061238678
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780061238673
Product Description:
This is the fully revised and updated edition of the ground–breaking self–help book on improving communicating and socializing skills in business and life. How To Work A Room lays down the fundamentals for savvy socializing, whether at a party, a conference, or even communicating online. RoAne clearly shows how to overcome the five roadblocks that keep most people from making new contacts; mix chutzpah and charm to start and end conversations smoothly; know when to use humor––and when not to; and follow simple rules of etiquette. Incorporating years of feedback from hundreds of presentations, as well as anecdotes from around the globe, RoAne keeps How To Work A Room fresh and on target. New chapters include: strategies starting, maintaining, and exiting conservations; and advice on commutating effectively in today's tech driven world.
Summary: An inspiring refresher...
Rating: 5
I have always been an outgoing, gregarious person, but I picked up "How to Work a Room" at the bookstore when I had been in a slump, and I can honestly say that it has helped me make a change in my life.
Susan Roane's book collection may sometimes be criticized for being "basic", but when you aren't using the skills that she describes, like introducing yourself to strangers, and following up with new contacts, then you do need to brush up on your basics.
Sometimes you just need a reminder of how much power you have in your actions and personality, and Susan Roane's books give you just that.
Summary: A "Must Read"
Rating: 5
Fabulous book that not only helps in business but also in every day life. If you ever get a chance to see the author in person at an event, go!
Summary: We're all shy!
Rating: 4
"How to Work a Room" is not a Dale Carnegie tome (all of which you should most definitely read if you're considering this book), but it nonetheless serves as a great introduction to "savvy socializing". Perhaps not surprisingly, the underling premise is almost identical to Carnegie's observations: there is no such thing as a "natural public speaker", or a "savvy socializer", these titles are achieved through hard work, preparation, and perseverance. As the author points out, 93% of us identify ourselves as shy, so stop worrying about your complexes, because everyone else has them too! Chances are, that slick socializer is as self conscious as everybody else in the room, but he or she has a purpose, a clear pitch, and a genuine interest (most of the time) in the other person - there is your formula.
The book offers a number of helpful suggestions for preparing yourself for a social event (both mentally and physically), how to behave (act as if you're the host), how to approach people (tailor a brief and pithy introduction), how to strike a conversation (smalltalk), and how to close and follow up. It's a fast read, and you won't regret it.
Summary: Entertaining, a quick and fun read
Rating: 3
Inevitably the audio to accompany the movie on seat 6A did not work, so my understanding neighbor suggested that I really should read their copy of "How to Work a Room"... or perhaps this was a not so subtle message - no chatting during the movie!
Anyway, back to the book: entertaining, a quick and fun read. A few tips I took away from a book and subsequently tried out:
- how to exit when it's time to circulate
- aside from the key objective of attending an event, think about who else will be attending and plan some goals from interacting with these people
- never forget that the event should be enjoyable
- some elegant ways to extricate yourself from the disrespectful and offensive - fortunately I didn't get a chance to try these out
Summary: Not a lot of substance here
Rating: 2
I picked up this book hoping to get some tips on networking and building social connections. While it's a quick and easy book to read, I found that most of the tips are highly topline and essentially common sense. For example, her advice on coming up with topics to talk to people about? Read today's newspaper. The best opening line to use? Say "hi" or "hello". How to develop personal charm? Think of someone charming (eg George Clooney) and try to do what they would do. How should you prepare to work a room? Think about what you want to get out of it. You get the idea.
As another reviewer has commented, essentially this book is one long pep talk rather than a source of useful how-to advice. It's far too general and short on specifics - much like reading a magazine article. You may pick up the odd idea here and there, but I'm sure that better books exist on this topic. Incidentally, while the book claims that it is equally relevant for business and social situations, in fact most of the advice is very business focused.
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