Dale Carnegie: How to Win Friends and Influence People (AudiobookFormat, 1998, Simon & Schuster Audio)
7 hrs and 15 mins
English language
Published Sept. 30, 1998 by Simon & Schuster Audio.
3 stars
(4 reviews)
This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. How to Win Friends and Influence People is just as useful today as it was when it was first published, because Dale Carnegie had an understanding of human nature that will never be outdated. Financial success, Carnegie believed, is due 15 percent to professional knowledge and 85 percent to "the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people." He teaches these skills through underlying principles of dealing with people so that they feel important and appreciated. He also emphasizes fundamental techniques for handling people without making them feel manipulated. Carnegie says you can make someone want to do what you want them to by seeing the situation from the other person's point of view and "arousing in the other person an eager want." You …
This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. How to Win Friends and Influence People is just as useful today as it was when it was first published, because Dale Carnegie had an understanding of human nature that will never be outdated. Financial success, Carnegie believed, is due 15 percent to professional knowledge and 85 percent to "the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people." He teaches these skills through underlying principles of dealing with people so that they feel important and appreciated. He also emphasizes fundamental techniques for handling people without making them feel manipulated. Carnegie says you can make someone want to do what you want them to by seeing the situation from the other person's point of view and "arousing in the other person an eager want." You learn how to make people like you, win people over to your way of thinking, and change people without causing offense or arousing resentment. For instance, "let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers," and "talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person." Carnegie illustrates his points with anecdotes of historical figures, leaders of the business world, and everyday folks.
As others have said, this probably could have been slimmed down a little more for ease of remembering. The "rules" tend to be very similar so it would be easy to get them confused while trying to impart what you learned into real life.
I also just didn't have a lot to take away from this. I was raised to be a people-pleaser so a lot of the suggestions I have already implemented in my life without having a direct name for it or realizing why I do it. It gave me a little more clarity, but that was it.
I understand that this book was written in an entirely different period all-together, however, the pace following each point is far too slowed. Carnegie tells multiple stories for every argument he makes in relation to the human psyche and these all help to sell said arguments but also slow the book's overall pace down as you already know what the outcome of each story will be. Definitely some fascinating arguments and, given how short it is, I would absolutely recommend people to read How to Win Friends and Influence People but it is slow.
Started off really strongly, but quickly became boring
3 stars
As the book went on, it became more of a chore to read. There are a lot of good ideas in the book, but I feel as though there are too many similar examples that have the same results and very few will stick with me.
