How to Win Friends and Influence People

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For the Terrorvision album, see How to Make Friends and Influence People.
How to Win Friends and Influence People  
Author Dale Carnegie
Country USA
Language English
Genre(s) Self-help
Publisher Simon and Schuster (1936)
Publication date October 1936

How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the first bestselling self-help books ever published. Written by Dale Carnegie and first published in 1936, it has sold 15 million copies globally. [1]

Leon Shimkin of the publishing firm Simon & Schuster took one of the 14-week courses given by Carnegie in 1934. Shimkin persuaded Carnegie to let a stenographer take notes from the course to be revised for publication. Since its first publication the book has been revised to update the language and update anecdotes.[2] The 1981 edition was reduced from six to four parts.

Contents

[edit] Major sections and points

The book has six major sections. The core principles of each section are quoted below.

[edit] Fundamental Techniques in Handling People

  1. Don't criticize, condemn or complain.
  2. Give honest and sincere appreciation.
  3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.

[edit] Six Ways to Make People Like You

  1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
  2. Smile.
  3. Remember that a man's Name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
  4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
  5. Talk in the terms of the other man's interest.
  6. Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

[edit] Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking

  1. Avoid arguments.
  2. Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never tell someone they are wrong.
  3. If you're wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
  4. Begin in a friendly way.
  5. Start with questions the other person will answer yes to.
  6. Let the other person do the talking.
  7. Let the other person feel the idea is his/hers.
  8. Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.
  9. Sympathize with the other person.
  10. Appeal to noble motives.
  11. Dramatize your ideas.
  12. Throw down a challenge.

[edit] Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

  1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
  2. Call attention to other people's mistakes indirectly.
  3. Talk about your own mistakes first.
  4. Ask questions instead of directly giving orders.
  5. Let the other person save face.
  6. Praise every improvement.
  7. Give them a fine reputation to live up to.
  8. Encourage them by making their faults seem easy to correct.
  9. Make the other person happy about doing what you suggest.

The last two sections were included in the original 1936 edition but omitted from the revised 1981 edition.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Financial Post on Dale Carnegie: "Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, the gold standard of the genre, has sold more than 15 million copies since it was first published in 1937." (24 April 2008)
  2. ^ Walters, Ray (September 5, 1982). "Paperback Talk". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9804E5D91738F936A3575AC0A964948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved on 2008-04-07. 

[edit] External links

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