Great!!
I LOVED THIS BOOK!! I got a lot out of it!! I can't wait to read more! I will order the charisma book now.
Nice coverage of well known material
If you have looked at other books on how to better relationships, you won't find anything new. But if you are looking for a brief and readable introduction to the topic or a good review, you will find The Power of Charm to be a nice addition to your library.
Useful advice, but doesn't (and should't) apply to all situation
I enjoyed reading the book, there is a lot of very good information. However, I doubt bringing out the charm offensive technique is appropriate in "all" situation. Suggestions like: "say as little as you can, listen more...", "give short and concise answer, and never offer advice...",..etc All good advice, basically you want to be perceived as "nice" all the time, even if you disagree with the other person - this makes you a good conversationalist. Imagine your working environment where everyone is always nice to each other, difficult decisions are gloss over and everyone is just plain charming.... What happen when the hard truth is needed ? what happen to being candor as a necessity in modern business environment ? Read Jack Welch's "Winning", in which he gave an example of how being a charming guy was not enough. In fact, it came across as phony when you are not being truthful. I tend to agree with that. And how does one develop long term meaningful friendship when everyone is so guarded all the time, not telling what they really think, no meaningful advice, or thinking all the time if the other person is telling the truth or just being "nice".
Being charming is great when you first meet someone, but to develop long term deep business/personal relationship, sometime you need the truth/honesty/candor with no sugar coating FAST - as in Jack's way.
Lightweight
A light, cheesy, unsubstantial tour of the subject. From reading the author's list titles he seems to specialize in churning out formulaic self help books. A disappointment. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone except for the clueless bore.
39 chapters, 2 pages each
When most communication books are bloated magazine articles, this one is a magazine article with all the throat clearing drained out. Yes, much of what they say is standard wisdom but we all need a refresher and for those just getting into this area, it is a great intro: you learn more by listening then talking(with tips on how to do just that); body language pointers(the flick---move your attnetion from one eye to the other to show attention); compliment a lot(but be specific). There is also a good chapter on telephone communication. A welcome addition to the literature.
