If you’re like me (and I sincerely hope you’re not), you sometimes (all the time) underperform in social situations, business situations, really any situation that requires interaction with fellow humans. You have trouble looking people in the eye, and then you work so hard forcing yourself to look them in the eye that they end up thinking you’re a lunatic who can’t break eye contact. Or, perhaps, you overcompensate for your nervousness by talking extremely loud and saying whatever is at the top of your head, filtering nothing. In short, you annoy people, or, worse, scare them.
If you’re like me (again, my condolences), you might want to pick up a copy of The Power of Charm by Brian Tracy and Ron Arden. I wasn’t previously familiar with Arden, but Brian Tracy is an old smoothie who has been charming people into buying what he sells for years, from tangible product to executive coaching. I once saw him in a day-long session with Anthony Robbins and a bunch of other motivators, and he was very charming. So I believed with good reason that his book could help me.
The Power of Charm could be just a bunch of platitudes about how the way to be charming is to listen to people and compliment them on their wardrobes, but this book goes beyond that (although shutting up and listening is definitely a main idea.) We’re talking step-by-step here, including chapters on Eye Contact, The Flick, Head Tilts, Head Nods and Be Quick to Smile and Laugh. You may think I’m making fun, and in a way I am, but only at myself because I actually need a book to tell me to do these things, and, if you’re like me, you do, too.
I realize I may be giving you the impression that this is a book only for socially inept agoraphobics (fear of the marketplace). This is not the case, I’ve just been having a little fun (at my own expense).
Article comments
1 - Duane
I'm charming enough, dadgummit. Now get off my lawn!