Products
Gift of the Gab
Dutch Edition
Do you find the thought of entering a room full of happily chattering people daunting? Does the concept of 'small talk' leave your mind completely blank? Have you ever stood behind a lectern and experienced sweaty palms and a dry mouth?
Then you need to develop the gift of the gab. The Gift of the Gab is your key to making confident conversation an everyday part of your life. This practical, well-written book will ensure you are never at a loss for words in any situation. Within its pages you will find achievable hints and strategies on:
• starting and maintaining conversations
• networking and making new friends
• 'fronting up' to people at parties and other social functions
• developing witty repartee
• speaking with authority at meetings and job interviews
• making presentations with confidence and power
• overcoming shyness.
Recommended Retail Price $29.95
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Is it really a 'gift'?
If I can do it, you can do it too
Behind the facade
My first challenge
On my own
How to get the most out of this book
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE IDEAL CONVERSATION?
The five most common misconceptions about conversation
The set ritual that makes for comfortable conversation
Two images that might help
Why some conversations don't work
WHY ARE ONLY SOME PEOPLE SHY?
We learn social behaviour
Do others feel the same way?
We can actually cause the very situations we dread
HOW TO OVERCOME SHYNESS
Two typical reactions to fear
There is another way!
Prepare conversation ideas in advance
Play 'Hunt the conversation'
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CONVERSATIONALIST?
An art with basic rules
The ten dynamic conversation techniques
THE BATTLE OF THE BORES
The eight different types of bores
How to avoid being a crashing bore
What to do when you are trapped by a bore
HOW TO BREAK THE ICE
Six good starting points
There are two sure-fire ways to get people talking
It's not a good idea...
Remember, you are not carrying the conversation on your own!
Spontaneity means thinking out loud
Ending without offending
SO I'VE STARTED A CONVERSATION - NOW WHAT?
Questions encourage people to talk to you
What is a good question?
The art of phrasing leading questions
Are there any 'bad' questions?
Talk to anyone with equal ease
KEEPING A CONVERSATION MOVING
The mechanics of conversation
Connections are to conversation what branches are to a tree
Bridging phrases
Clever uses of connections
What to say if you can think of nothing to say
Will I be told to butt out if I butt in?
T'AIN'TWHATCHA SAY; IT'STHEWAYTHATCHA SAY IT
Six techniques to transport your listeners
Five errors that spoil a good story
How to answer the 'How are you?' question
'How are you?' is really a loaded question
I WISH I'D SAID THAT!
Hoe to develop your own style
The different kinds of humour
Making a start with one-liners
Developing your sense of the ridiculous
The art of one-upmanship
To use or not to use...
Four ways to spoil a joke
HOW TO KEEP YOUR FOOT OUT OF YOUR MOUTH
Am I diplomatic enough?
Seven types of foot-in-mouthers
How to handle foot-in-mouthers
Oops -too late!
EXPRESS YOURSELF WITH AUTHORITY
How to be confident with your opinions
How to develop a good argument
Convincing others at business meetings
How to speak with conviction
Four ways to sound evasive and uncertain
How to get away with murder
MAKING AN IMPACT AT JOB INTERVIEWS
What would you want to know if you were the interviewer?
Opening techniques
Questions interviewers ask and how you should answer
Closing techniques
STAND AND DELIVER!
The key to painless presentations
Make it easy for your listeners to follow your logic
What to say in your introduction and close
Now you are ready to refine your style
How to handle those nerves
NETWORKING -THE ART OF MAKING CONTACTS AND CONNECTIONS
How much difference can contacts really make?
In our quest for contacts, are we on the move or on the make?
How to build a network
Four mistakes to avoid
How to introduce yourself at networking gatherings
Make the most of chance encounters
Making your network work
DEVELOPING MEANINGFUL FRIENDSHIPS
Reassess your current circle
Making new friends and contacts
How to develop deeper relationships
Friends, lovers and the Right One
MIND YOUR MANNERS
Manners make for merry mingling
How to introduce people
What if I forget names?
How to break into established groups at a party
Graceful getaways
The party's over
How to ask someone out
Customs and cultural cringe
WHAT NEXT?
Having trouble getting started?
Begin with a realistic plan of action
Don't let others drag you down
How do you stay motivated?
Wise Words
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things.
Robert Brault