“Would you rather
1. jump out of an airplane without a parachute
or
2. sit next to someone you’ve never met before a dinner party?
If your answer is 1, don’t feel bad. You’ve got a lot of company. Even though talking is something we do every day, there are lots of situations where we could do it better. The road to success, whether it’s social or professional, is paved with talk. If you’re not a confident talker, the road can be bumpy.
That’s why I’ve written this book—to make it smoother. I’ve been talking for a living for thirty-seven years, and on my radio and TV shows I’ve had conversations with people from Mikhail Gorbachev to Michael Jordan. I also regularly give speeches to groups that range from sheriffs to storm-door salesmen. In the following pages, I’ll tell you what I have learned about how to talk, whether you’re speaking to one person or a hundred.”
~ Larry King from How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere
Larry King is, of course, a LEGEND.
Do you know how many people he’s interviewed over his 50+ year (!!) career?
50,000.
And counting.
I got this book after Larry and James Pawelski interviewed me for their Positive Voices interview series. (One of our Optimize Coach – Class I graduates, Donna Hemmert, introduced us. Thanks again for connecting us, Donna!!)
Larry wrote this book 25 years ago—37 years into his career.
It’s a great introduction to his thoughts on “The Secrets of Good Communication” in every situation—from dinner parties to public speaking. And, it’s a great autobiographical sketch of his own career as “the most remarkable talkshow host on TV ever.” (Get the book here.)
Larry’s authenticity and sense of humor jumps off the page.
As I read the book, I thought of my Coach and spiritual Godfather—Phil Stutz (whose Oscar-winning clients have spent a fair amount of time on Larry’s show). Both Phil and Larry are old-school sons of immigrants who grew up poor in New York City. They have the same fantastically intense, no nonsense way about them—which I love.
The book is packed with Big Ideas and I’m excited to share a few of my favorites so we can Optimize how we’re talking to anyone, anytime, anywhere, TODAY, so let’s jump straight in!
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