How to Talk to Anyone

92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships

By: Leil Lowndes

Narrated by: Joyce Bean, Leil Lowndes

Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's Summary

"You'll not only break the ice, you'll melt it away with your new skills." -Larry King

"The lost art of verbal communication may be revitalized by Leil Lowndes." -Harvey McKay, author of How to Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive

What is that magic quality that makes some people instantly loved and respected? Everyone wants to be their friend (or, if single, their lover). In business, they rise swiftly to the top of the corporate ladder. What is their “Midas touch?”

What it boils down to is a more skillful way of dealing with people.

The author has spent her career teaching people how to communicate for success. In her book How to Talk to Anyone, Lowndes offers 92 easy and effective sure-fire success techniques - she takes the listener from first meeting all the way up to sophisticated techniques used by the big winners in life. In this information-packed audiobook you’ll find:

• 9 ways to make a dynamite first impression
• 14 ways to master small talk, “big talk,” and body language
• 14 ways to walk and talk like a VIP or celebrity
• 6 ways to sound like an insider in any crowd
• 7 ways to establish deep subliminal rapport with anyone
• 9 ways to feed someone’s ego (and know when NOT to!)
• 11 ways to make your phone a powerful communications tool
• 15 ways to work a party like a politician works a room
• 7 ways to talk with tigers and not get eaten alive

In her trademark entertaining and straight-shooting style, Leil gives the techniques catchy names so you’ll remember them when you really need them, including: “Rubberneck the Room,” “Be a Copyclass,” “Come Hither Hands,” “Bare Their Hot Button,” “The Great Scorecard in the Sky,” and “Play the Tombstone Game,” for big success in your social life, romance, and business.

How to Talk to Anyone, which is an update of her popular book, Talking the Winner's Way (see the 5-star reviews of the latter) is based on solid research about techniques that work!

By the way, don't confuse How to Talk to Anyone with one of Leil's previous books, How to Talk to Anybody About Anything. This one is completely different!

©2003 Leil Lowndes. (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Good info, but painful to listen to

Any additional comments?

I found some good information in this book, but I would have found it SO MUCH BETTER if the 92 tricks were listed instead of having to listen to this entire book. Part of the problem is that 92 tips and tricks are far too many to remember. There are a lot of good pointers, but there are way too many ideas expressed here. More detailed examples and explanations of fewer tips and tricks would probably be more effective... would make them easier to incorporate into actual interpersonal communications.

But far worse is her old-timey way of writing (and presumably speaking). Most of the reviews are correct... the language she uses is so outdated (I've never heard the word 'golly' so many times in my life), the generalizations are pain (and I am anything but PC), and her constant use of alliteration is cringe-worthy (and I almost always appreciate alliteration). I don't believe 90% of her stories about this friend or that acquaintance. They just sound so stilted. And if it wasn't for a few awkward uses of modern-day terms, I'd think this book was written in Dale Carnegie's day (Amazon says the book was released in 2003). She may be an expert in modern-day communication, but she sounds like she belongs in a 1940s newsreel.

I'm only through #57, and I may try to find the list online to get the rest of them without subjecting myself to more uses of terms like 'big winners' and 'fat cats.' Glad I got it on-sale.

Hard to take seriously

Sorry, but I have a hard time taking the author seriously when she refers to martial artists having to register their hands as lethal weapons (urban legend), bats having superior eyes that can see in the dark better than we can (they don't, they are just using their ears to navigate with sonar), lovers referring to each other as "my turtledove" (what is this... the 40's???), advising her listeners to answer the phone with a polite but flat voice then wait until they hear who it is on the line before gushing with pretend happiness (who doesn't have Call ID these days?), or making sexist comments about how women don't understand football analogies but can talk about childbirth all day. When she talked about a customer calling her to complain that "one of her tapes had broken", I checked the publication date of the book thinking it would be from the 80's but to my surprise the publication date is actually 2015 with a copyright date of 2003. If that's true and she's still referring to things that have been outdated for decades, I don't know how much of her advice I really want to trust.

The author may be a legit communications expert, but she lost a lot of credibility with me due to her narrow-mindedness, overgeneralization, and outdated references. The two nicest things I can say about this book is that it's short enough to be tolerable... and I got it on sale. Don't spend your credit on this one.

Can I get my credit back?

This book is corny and after listening to it for 30 mins I was ready to stop but continued on for another 30 mins. Overall get a book from grant cardone. Any book and you'll pick up similar tips but with great presentation

Too self important

This book has a few good tips, but the author is far too pretentious for me. I expected a book with communication tips (of which there are some), but the book is much more about manipulating people to benefit oneself.

It could do with some editing

Some of this is very helpful and might change the way you interact with people. But it needs cutting down it seems very longwinded and repetitive in parts. It is also a little dated.

superficial

92 tricks? Is that really practical to remember? A lot of information in this story was repeated or focused on superficial manipulation of others. I love books on audible but this was a real struggle to finish.

Less about how to talk to anyone and more about playing the game

The book makes some good points, however, it also comes across as very manipulative and insincere. Many of the tactics that are portrayed as bulletproof can easily be seen through. It's more about how to play the "game."

The purplest of prose

The information in this book is interesting, but the delivery is godawful. The writing is terrible and the author reads the text in lilting, smarmy tones. I'm going to find a print version so I can skim the bad writing and cheesy anecdotes to glean the concepts, some of which are thought provoking.

so outdated

Has How to Talk to Anyone turned you off from other books in this genre?

I had to look at the date it was written and couldn't believe it was 2015. I thought it was something from the 30's or 40's. Sorry, but a good one to go to sleep with.

Great despite some bad reviews

Any additional comments?

Some say the reading is smarmy and annoying. I can see why they say that about the author who reads only the introduction.

Some say the names for techniques are goofy and patronizing. I say they are good memory aids. They are goofy and inspire visual images, which are easier to remember.

Some say the author sounds too self-congratulatory about her many important friends and her uniquely superior save-the-day wisdom. I was just a bit annoyed by this. But I appreciate personal stories as examples. Stories are easier to remember. It's part of her job as a writer to sell you on the usefulness of the suggestions. Besides, I don't care if she is a bit self-important. That doesn't change my evaluation of the usefulness of the suggestions.

Some say the techniques are manipulative. I don't think so. In fact some of her tips specifically discussed the line between manipulation and sincerity and warns that unless you are completely sincere it will backfire. I think tips are good manners, and good manners are about being aware of how you affect other people. It's about being considerate.

Some say that her examples were dated and out of touch. Well, I may be out of touch myself, but didn't think so. The only dated examples that stood out to me were her suggestion of calling the chamber of commerce and using the world wide web. (hahaha) That hardly invalidates all the interpersonal awareness taught in the book.

I found the suggestions extremely helpful. Some I realized I already do but was really glad for the reminder. Others, I had no idea and I wish someone had told me!

American people and how to deal with them

Most of the scenarios in this are based around being American and how an American would respond.

So dull and so unoriginal!

Any additional comments?

Ugh! This was awful, now i can understand why it has so many bad reviews! Thought i would take a chance but i really regret it. Such old fashioned and unrealistic nonsense, told in a patronising and annoying way. Very unimpressed with this one!

Good book but annoying narration

I liked the book and the content is informative and interesting but the narration after a while began to irritate me.

Started off on the right track but quickly became

I didn't find this book very useful at all. The advice in it seems to be aimed at dinner parties, and is heavily focused on a commercialised end-goal.
The author has littered the book full of contrived anecdotes that I struggle to believe happened anywhere near to how she described them.
It's a shame, because the first few chapters were really interesting, but then it became 6 hours of padding and common sense discussion points.

Brilliant advice for all situations

Just about to listen again to cement these pearls of wisdom solidly in my brain. These life-changing words will help anyone in any situation to make the most of their communication. An absolute must read.

One of the best books on communication

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

One of the best books on communication I've ever come across. I read it multiple times because the messages in it are valuable and have helped me come a long way in securing a career at Shell. I'm happy to have found this book at the time I did. Thank you to the author of this masterpeice!

Awful, Dull, Boring.

I Couldn't even get past first chapter. Really really annoying voice!! Deadly dull content too.

American

All of the advice was good.

A lot of the examples might be more appropriate for an American audience.

Worth listening to and enjoyable though.

I'm not sure if I learned a lot.

Nothing new

I persisted until the end of this book but it was quite a slog. None of the ideas presented were new to me and I found the author's name dropping followed by dreary lists of what that person has accomplished incredibly tedious.

I will be returning this book.

Great guide to behavior

as the title suggests Facebook lists 92 topics which are elaborated in detail of how to use the topics in the relevant situations. It provides detailed examples of how to apply what you read. I would recommend anyone who is interested in improving their situational awareness in social circles, and social skill aptitude.