Businessperson Public Speaking Training Book

Author: Wang Bang, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
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Features: Dale Carnegie, a great American success psychologist, interpersonal relationship expert, and adult educator of the 20th century. He dedicated his life to establishing a comprehensive training method called "Effective Speaking and Influencing Others" for adults (primarily business professionals). His works have been translated into almost every language, and his training methods have gained worldwide fame. From government leaders to business executives, from middle-class individuals to ordinary people, Dale Carnegie's training programs have produced millions of graduates, impacting the lives and destinies of generations. This book compiles Dale Carnegie's conversation skills and training experiences, encapsulating the essence of this life coach's insights into human nature and the core principles of his success philosophy.
Excerpt: 2 The Power of a Smile
Berger was a highly successful insurance salesman in the United States. Before entering someone's office, he would pause for a moment, reflecting on the many things he had to be grateful for, which would trigger a sincere smile. Recently, I attended a banquet in New York. One of the guests was a woman who had just inherited a substantial fortune and was eager to make a good impression. She spent a lot of money on sable, diamonds, and pearls, but her face revealed a harsh and selfish expression. She didn’t realize that for any man, the expression on a woman’s face is far more important than the clothes she wears (remember this the next time your wife wants to buy a sable coat).
Swab told me that his smile was worth a million dollars. What he wanted to convey was a truth: his personality, his charm, and his ability to charm others were almost the reasons for his extraordinary success. One of the most lovable aspects of his personality was his captivating smile. Once, I spent an afternoon with Beverly—he was, to be honest, a bit disappointing. He rarely smiled, his expression was stern, and he was completely unlike what I had expected. Fortunately, he did eventually smile. And when he did, the atmosphere brightened as if the clouds had parted. In the past, his smile had changed his fate. Without it, he might still be working as a carpenter in Paris, continuing his father and brother’s profession.
Actions speak louder than words. Smiling to others is a way of showing, "I like you, you make me happy, I enjoy seeing you." And in return, others will surely like you. Why are dogs so lovable? Look at how much they enjoy seeing us—their joy seems to leap out of their skin. Naturally, we enjoy seeing them too. But does simply opening our mouths and smiling work, even if it’s an insincere smile? No, such a smile deceives no one. It’s a mechanical, fake smile, and if we know it’s fake, we’ll feel repelled and resentful. The smile we’re talking about here is a genuine smile, a warm smile, an inward smile—the kind that fetches a good price in the market.
The personnel director of a large department store in New York told me that he would rather hire a female employee who didn’t graduate from elementary school if she had a lovely smile, rather than a cold-faced philosophy doctor. The chairman of a major U.S. rubber company told me that based on his observations, if people don’t approach their work with happiness, they rarely succeed. This business leader didn’t fully believe the old saying that "only hard work can open the door to our desires." "Among the people I know," he said, "those who succeed are those who truly love what they do. Later, when they start working hard, the job becomes monotonous, they lose all the joy in it, and eventually, they fail."
If you want others to be happy to see you, you must also be happy to see them. Once, I invited thousands of business professionals to try smiling at someone every hour of the day for a week and then return to share their experiences. How did it turn out? Let’s see a letter from Stan Hard of the New York Stock Exchange. His situation was not unusual—it was just one typical example. Stan Hard wrote: I’ve been married for 18 years, and during those years, I rarely smiled at my wife or said more than a few words to her. On Broadway Street, I was known for having a bad temper. But because you asked me to give a speech about my experience with smiling, I decided to give it a try for a week. So the next morning, as I was combing my hair, I looked at my dull face in the mirror and said to myself, "Bill, today you’re going to shake off your old expression. You’re going to smile—you’re starting now."
When I sat down for breakfast, I greeted my wife with a smile. She was surprised—far more than I had anticipated. I told her I’d do this from now on. Now, I’ve been doing it for two months. In these two months, my family has experienced more joy than in the entire previous year. Now, when I go to the office, I say "good morning" to the elevator operator and smile at him; I smile at the doorman; I smile at the clerk in the subway shop when I make a purchase; and when I stand on the trading floor of the exchange, I smile at people I’ve never met before. I soon noticed that everyone smiled back at me. Those who