How to Talk to Anyone

I wasn't going to add this to my Goodreads but this is the actual worst book I've ever read.

The bulk of it is basic things, like making eye contact, making up for mistakes, being polite, and being confident.

The rest is anecdotes that are totally sycophantic. The introduction is all about how the successful and wealthy people you know of aren't beneficiaries of inheritance but their natural ability to influence people. This is negated by the very first tip, which is supported by a story about a person who inherits a business!

There are also stories about how nobles are better than commoners, and advice that one should agree during a speech of a more successful person (muttering "good idea!") because it makes you seem like an independent thinker, an assertion that is absurd on its face.

It's a collection of topics in essay or blog post form which, although not devaluing the book, does make it feel a little... compiled. It's verbose for what it's trying to accomplish, using examples of the author's encounters to emphasise the points being made. The use of invented of terms and pet names grated a on me, but did make a useful shorthand for later reference.

I got about halfway through before I realised that I could bypass most of the content and head straight for the summary at the end of each topic. It gave me the point the author was trying to make without the "imagine for a moment..." touchy-feely content, and doing so enabled me to enjoy and benefit from it more.