PIC No. 15:
• Title: How to Work a Room (25th Anniv. Ed.): The Ultimate Guide to Making Lasting Connections—in Person and Online
• Author: Susan RoAne
• Publisher: William Morrow (Dec. 31, 2013, 400 pages)
• Management Bucket #19 of 20: The Printing Bucket (aka The Communication Bucket)
Welcome to Issue No. 15 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—short reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system."
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Wow! How did I miss this stunningly practical book? While I was dithering and missing important connections (in person and online), more than a million others bought this book and have learned How to Work a Room!
As Guy Kawasaki recommends:
• “Buy this book if you want to be a savvy socializer.
• Buy a second one for a shy friend.
• Buy a third one as an e-book, so you’re never without it.”
In my early years as CEO of a national association, I began collecting name badges from every event I attended. I soon realized five years into my 25+ years of meetings (with three associations) that this hobby would overwhelm my office! (I stopped!) So—get this! Author Susan Roane has a fascinating section in her book on “Name Tags That Pull.” (Have you ever thought strategically about your name tag?) Example:
A colleague told the author “…that when he put the designation ‘Financial Planner’ on his name tag at a business mixer, no one looked twice. But when he wrote ‘Money’ beneath his name, he was approached by many interesting people who wanted to know what he did.” (Others have also used humor—like the guy who wrote “Name Tag” on his name tag!) Oh…and did you know that you should “Always, always place the name tag on your right-hand side.” (Read why on page 149.)
The updated 2013 edition of How to Work a Room is subtitled “The Ultimate Guide to Making Lasting Connections—in Person and Online” and includes new chapters on “How to Work the Virtual Room” and “The Social Media Mélange” with cyber savvy insights on hashtags, live chats, texting, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and more.
The practical tricks and tactics ooze out—and with 400 pages—start with the 11-page table of contents (why doesn’t every author provide this level of detail at the front end?). Oh, my. What to read first?
• Five roadblocks and five remedies when working a room
• Prepare Your Small Talk
• Name Tags That Pull
• Great Opening Lines
• Five Fundamental Laws of Casual Conversation
• Fatal Flaws of Casual Conversation
• The Ten Commandments of Connecting
• Working the World: Trains and Boats and Planes
• Plus: check out the author’s recommended reading and listening list
Bonus Chuckles! The author has fun with the book and includes some very funny cartoons and comic strips, including the precocious five-year-old girl in her party dress at an adult mixer. Her comment to a gentlemen she’s speaking to, “I’d love to chat longer, but I’m working the room.” LOL!
PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Printing Bucket (aka The Communications Bucket), plus other buckets/core competencies:
• The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right, by Gorick Ng - (Read my review.)
• Public Speaking Laws of Success: For Everyone and Every Occasion, by Richard J. Goossen. See the section, “Introducing Yourself.” Goossen writes, “When asked to ‘Please introduce yourself and share something interesting about yourself,’—most people are not ready, and they’re boring. Be prepared and ‘treat it like a mini-speech.’” (Read my review.)
• Social Style: The Ah Ha's of Effective Relationships, by Gerald L. Prince and John R. Myers (Read my review.) – Note: This review also features other books on the four social styles. Each style tends to “work a room differently” based on their comfort zone. What’s your style: Analytical, Driving, Amiable, or Expressive?
To order from Amazon, click on the title for How to Work a Room, 25th Anniversary Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Making Lasting Connections—in Person and Online, by Susan RoAne. Listen on Libro.fm (8 hours, 3 minutes). For more book reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. (And thanks to Jim Canning for sending me this wonderful book!)
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