Business Development Skills

The Art of Conversation will show you step by step how to converse skillfully and enjoyably with other people, at home, at work, on the phone, and in the street. Even if you're daunted now, discover the difference good conversation can make in every aspect of your life.

You enter a crowded room. For a moment every eye is on you. And a little voice inside you cries, "Help!" If this has ever happened to you, you're not alone! Walking into a room full of people you don't know can be very uncomfortable. It can also be one of your very best opportunities to meet and make new business contacts and friends. The Mingling Maven™ will show step by step, how to allay your fears and make the most of every moment.

Story isn't just one way to persuade. It's the way. It's built into the architecture of the brain, and has been since early humans gathered around the camp fire, trying to figure out how to outsmart the lion next door. In Story or Die, story coach Lisa Cron sets out to decode the power of story, first by examining how the brain processes information, translates it into narrative, and then guards it as if your life depends on it.

Why do we so often fail to connect when speaking with business colleagues, family members, or friends? Wouldn't you like to make yourself heard and understood in all of your relationships? Using vivid examples, easy-to-learn techniques, and practical exercises for becoming a better listener and making yourself heard and understood, Dale Carnegie will show you how it's done, even in difficult situations.

Imagine if you had the magical ability to read people's minds. You would always know what they were really thinking, and how they formed their opinions. You would be able to tell if they were lying. You would know what decisions they were going to make even before they did. Wouldn't it be great if you could always know just the right thing to say to influence them effectively? Well, it turns out that this isn't a magical superpower at all - it is simply the ability to analyze people.

Learn conversational agility to think quickly on your feet, be incredibly smooth, funny, and clever - all at once. Goodbye awkward silences! No matter where you lie on the spectrum of awkward to engaging, witty banter is always the end goal - and it should be. Witty banter, and all the steps that lead to it, allows you to disarm and connect with anyone, immediately exit boring small talk mode, and instantly build rapport.

Discover how to use proven spy techniques to bolster your business strategies - from self-advocation to selling to interviewing - and ultimately make more money with this unique guide.

In Words Like Loaded Pistols, Sam Leith traces the art of argument from ancient Greece down to its many modern mutations. He introduces verbal villains from Hitler to Richard Nixon—and the three musketeers: ethos, pathos and logos. He explains how rhetoric works in speeches from Cicero to Obama, and pays tribute to the rhetorical brilliance of AC/DC's "Back In Black". Before you know it, you'll be confident in chiasmus and proud of your panegyrics—because rhetoric is useful, relevant, and absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

Get Together is a practical and heartfelt guide to cultivating a community. Whether starting a run crew, connecting with fans online, or sparking a movement of K-12 teachers, the secret to getting people together is this: Build your community with people, not for them. In Get Together, Bailey, Kevin, and Kai share true stories of everyday people who created thriving communities, both in-person and online.

In this hilarious and highly practical book, author and professional speaker Scott Berkun reveals the techniques behind what great communicators do, and shows how anyone can learn to use them well. For managers and teachers - and anyone else who talks and expects someone to listen - Confessions of a Public Speaker provides an insider's perspective on how to effectively present ideas to anyone. It's a unique, entertaining, and instructional romp through the embarrassments and triumphs Scott has experienced over 15 years of speaking to crowds of all sizes.

Networking has garnered a reputation as a sort of necessary evil in the modern business world. Some do relish the opportunity to boldly work the room, but for many others, the experience is often awkward, or even terrifying. The common networking advice for introverts are variations on the theme of overcoming or “fixing” their quiet tendencies. But Karen Wickre, a self-described introvert who has worked in Silicon Valley for 30 years, tells you to embrace your true nature to create sustainable connections that can be called upon for you to get career assistance, advice, introductions, and lasting connections.

Imagine turning what could be a contentious conversation with a family member, a friend, or a coworker into a fruitful exchange that enlightens everyone’s minds and inches both of you toward a solution. Steven T. Collis, one of the world’s leading experts on civil discourse, reveals ten practical habits that can help you navigate the potential minefields of hard topics and leave you and those you converse with feeling thoughtful and productive.

Good communication, motivation, negotiation and leadership skills are essential for those looking to succeed in business. Business NLP For Dummies helps listeners use NLP techniques to foster these crucial skills and develop their strengths in the workplace. Listeners will discover how making small changes to day-to-day activities can set them on track to achieving business excellence. Neuro-Linguistic Programming is a hugely popular self-help technique around the globe.

From a toddler's first words to professional public speaking, from a marriage proposal to asking for a raise, our voice is our most crucial instrument of expression. The world judges us by our voice. And yet there has been no authoritative guide to mastering its full capacity and expressing our true selves in every aspect of life, from relationships and family to work. Until now.

It is well documented that working hard isn't enough to keep your professional star rising: Self-promotion is recognized as one of the most important attributes for getting ahead. Filled with practical examples of ways in which people in various work-life stages can promote themselves, Klaus teaches you to communicate strengths and accomplishments without appearing too opportunistic, eager, egotistical, or self-aggrandizing.

We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the 10 most important ones to help you speak confidently in front of a group and connect with audiences of any size. This book will inspire you to: feel more confident when it's your turn to present; understand how to persuade, motivate, and change minds; frame your message so people really listen; gain your audience's trust by being more authentic; use visuals and data more effectively; learn to be more charismatic; and infuse your day-to-day communication with storytelling.

Carol Fleming wants to show you that small talk is not as “small” as you might think. It’s the foundation of every relationship, professional and personal. It is the sound of people reaching out to each other, searching for similarities, shared interests, goodwill, connections, and friendship. And it’s something we all do every day with people we know. It’s just the one little bit about strangers that throws some people off. Graceful social conversation can be learned, even by those requiring the smallest of baby steps.

How are you supposed to tell someone that they're not meeting expectations without crushing their spirit? Regular feedback, when delivered skillfully, can turn average performers into the hardest workers and stars into superstars. Yet many see it as an awkward chore: Recent studies have revealed 37 percent of managers dread giving feedback, and 65 percent of employees wish their managers gave more feedback. This trail-blazing new model eliminates the guesswork.

For more than 25 years, small-talk expert Don Gabor has helped thousands of people communicate with wit, confidence, and enthusiasm with his best seller How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends. This newly revised and updated edition combines classic techniques in the art of conversation with necessary skills for communicating in the 21st century.

The story of Captain D. Michael Abrashoff and his command of U.S.S. Benfold has become legendary inside and outside the Navy. Now Abrashoff offers this fascinating tale of top-down change for anyone trying to navigate today's uncertain business seas.