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Summary: Once a weirdo wallflower, now I'm socially confident!
Review: 10 years ago I felt like a soul going about in a suit of armor fashioned from rusty scrap metal which had once been a septic tank. I had problems stemming from my youth.The time had come for me to change or I was going to die, either of lonliness or suicide, so I got into therapy. I started feeling better soon, but needed to build new, practical habits. I hardly knew where to begin; books seemed a good place. I found Alan Garner's book and seized it immediately. It's a wonderful book if you desire practical conversational skills that will touch many areas of you life in a positive way. Garner gently guides you step-by-step from finding others to meet, to starting conversations & keeping them going, to resolving conflicts once you're in a relationship. How fascinating for a young man like me to know the freedom of exchanging silly pick-up lines (or begging) for the calm of honest interest and realistic expectatations. I am no longer bewildered about why some people are much more successful that others socially, and if you read Alan Garner's book you'll join in the understanding. May you set yourself free.
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Summary: A Must-Have Book for Making New Friends!!!
Review: A had read three books on making conversation (How To Work A Room, What Do I Say Next?, and How to Start A Conversation and Make Friends). I really tried to do what they said, but for several years now, I have just fallen flat and have not been able to "connect" with others. After reading Mr. Garner's book just last week, I have really been connecting with many people. For the first time, I have been given information that actually works because it is suited to what makes people "tick". Whereas the aforementioned books basically tell you to act nice, listen, and have interesting information to talk about, Mr. Garner's information gives you tools to have people actually want to continue talking with you. I felt that the other books made you still be somewhat "boring" to other people because most people want you to relate to them, rather than them having to find your topics interesting. This book has really changed my life and I am really grateful! Other good picks are (audiotapes) The Fine Art of Small Talk by Deborah Fine and The Pocket Guide to Making Successful Small Talk: How to Talk to Anyone Anytime Anywhere About Anything by Bernardo J. Carducci, Ph D.
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Summary: Great Info!
Review: Althought most of the information seems common sense, if you actively try applying each one of the tenets in the book it works great. The book does a great job of breaking down the kinds of conversations and what to do in the different sitatuations. Definitely would recommend !!!
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Summary: Because you can't give 6
Review: An excellent book for anyone. There is always room for self improvement, and this will give it to you. From reducing social anxiety, setting specific goals for yourself, all the way to meeting new people. Grade: A+
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Summary: Conversation is key
Review: Conversation is key to meeting others & establishing relationships with them. And this book does a tremendous job exploring the aspects of conversation. I, however, am looking for a more complete book on dating. And that's why I liked the usual How to Succeed with Women & How to Have Sex with Hot Girls Without Even Dating Them.
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Summary: Definitely Worth Reading
Review: Conversationally Speaking is surprisingly subtle and deep despite or perhaps because of its simple, straightforward language, methods and anecdotes.
Many a time, at the start of a chapter, I'd think, "where's Garner going with this", or "that seems a little obvious" only to be completely surprised and profoundly taken aback by his shrewd observations and wisdom, a few pages later. This book bears multiple readings because it has much to say in despite being concise. I especially like the chapters on Self-Disclosure, Self-Defeating Rules, and IDF (Idealization, Frustration, Demoralization) disease, which were real eye-openers. If I have any criticism of this book, it would be to say that, like many a self-help book (like The Seven Habits, and First Things First), it features many proactive strategies, in this case for overcoming shyness and improving all relationships, but it doesn't deal with the limits of those strategies, i.e. it doesn't overtly state that sometimes the best thing to do is cut your losses and ditch a relationship that's not working. Instead there is an implication to not give up on anyone, and to shrug off others' bad behaviour, rather than trusting your intuition and calling it what it is.
Keeping that in mind, the book is still worth every penny.
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Summary: Great book!
Review: Easy reading, lots of examples, very usefull
Rating: 
Summary: See if your library has it before buying
Review: For the most part this book is fairly well written with the exception of a few chapters at the end. The first half of the book offered the majority of what I found to be useful information. The second half however, seemed to shift away from the book's focus and on to something else (mainly motivation). All in all not a bad book. See if your library has it before buying.
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Summary: Not perfect, but definitely good
Review: I found this book very helpful, albeit not perfect. It is written in a somewhat academic, dry style, but once you get over that you will find the information is worthwhile. The book is short and has many facts and skills packed into it - so if you want to actually adopt or fully utilize the information, I think a good amount of independent reflection on the material is needed. One thing I enjoyed was that this book is based on actual research - not just one very sociable person's life experiences (which is the basis for other conversation books I have browsed through). Garner reveals many interesting insights into human nature, which are encouraging to the shy and socially awkward! Overall I would definitely recommend this book to someone who wants to learn how to speak more easily and warmly to others.
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Summary: Very Helpful Book
Review: I had considered myself a very shy person, never knowing what to say to new people, so I decided to read this book. This book is a very helpful book. The author, Alan Garner, takes you through his step by step Conversationally Speaking course, which will help anyone who has any problems striking conversation. Garner gives advice on how to make people want to talk to you, everything from how to give off a positive body language and seem to others to be open and willing to socialize, to how you can make people interested in what you talk about, just by talking about things that interest them? Now you may ask, how do you know what interests someone, or how do I talk in a way that will make me seem more intriguing to a person, if I dont know them or what they want, let alone what they think??? Your answer..... Read this book!!!!! It tells you all of that and more, and all of Garner's techniques are supported by real life situations, and in many cases, real life dialogue that Garner has either been a part of himself, been there to see it, or heard from a friend. Just reading these alone can show you how to be more sociable and build self confidence. In short, if you want to be a better people person, then READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!
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