Some of you may remember my review of How to Win Friends and Influence People. If so, then this review will feel like a walk down memory lane. That book is very similar to How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing with People, which I just finished reading a few nights ago. Dale Carnegie and Les Giblin both poured their extensive knowledge of communication skills into their respective books. Despite their similarities, however, Giblin’s book is worth reading on its own and has some additional insights over Carnegie’s work.
The title may be off-putting to some people, with the words “power” and “dealing with people” most likely to give someone the wrong impression. Though the book may sound a little devious, the techniques within are intended to be used for positive purposes. Much of the book is dedicated to correcting bad mindsets and habits that readers may have gotten into; this makes it a useful self-improvement book as well as a persuasion book. Speaking of self-improvement, the last chapter contains a self-improvement program that you can fill in and use to track your progress. I’ve seen that in only a handful of books I’ve read, which makes this a rarity on my bookshelf.
When it comes to the persuasive portions, following Giblin’s advice results in bringing out the best in other people and helping them live up to their potential rather than pushing them around. This is similar to how Robert Cialdini encourages readers of his books to use persuasion in an ethical fashion. For example, I’ve already posted an excerpt from Giblin’s book about the “feeling of importance” that everyone craves and how much more enthusiastic someone becomes when they receive it. So if you’re looking for a book that will help you interact with other people more easily, you’re in luck. But if you want a book that will help you take over the world, better look elsewhere. Or better yet, don’t. Please don’t take over the world.
How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing with People is a great book. I probably would have benefited more from it if I’d read it a year or two ago as I’m familiar with most of what it talks about, but it’s always good to have a refresher for this stuff. Whether this is the first book you read on this subject or the latest one, I recommend checking it out. It has a lot of good stuff that will improve your interactions with others and help you out in every area of your life.