Businessperson Public Speaking Training (Whole Book)

Author: Wang Bang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Dale Carnegie, one of the greatest American success philosophers, interpersonal relationship experts, and adult educators of the 20th century. He dedicated his life to establishing a set of training methods 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 the middle class to ordinary citizens, the Dale Carnegie Training has 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 one of the most successful insurance agents 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 large fortune and was eager to make a good impression. She spent a lot of money on sable, diamonds, and pearls, but the expression on her face was cold and selfish. She didn’t realize that for any man, the look 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. Because Swab’s personality, his charm, and his ability to win people over were almost the reasons for his extraordinary success. And 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 destiny. If it hadn’t been for his smile, he might still be working as a carpenter in Paris, following in his father’s and brother’s footsteps.
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 too. Why are dogs so lovable? Look at how much they enjoy seeing us, their joy almost 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 a dishonest smile? No, that kind of smile deceives no one. It’s a mechanical, fake smile. 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 authentic smile that comes from the heart—the kind that commands a premium in the marketplace. 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 but had a lovely smile than a philosophy doctor with a cold demeanor.
The chairman of a major rubber company in the United States told me that based on his observations, if people don’t approach their work with enthusiasm, they rarely succeed. This business leader doesn’t fully believe in the old saying: "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 dull, 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 others. Once, I invited thousands of business professionals to try smiling at someone every hour of the day for a week and then come back 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 when I got up or left for work. On Broadway, I was known as a very grumpy person. 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 told myself, “Bill, today you’re going to shake off your old expression. You’re going to smile, and you’re going to start right now.”
When I sat down for breakfast, I greeted my wife with a smile. She was surprised—more surprised than I had anticipated. She was bewildered. I told her I would do this from now on. Now, I’ve been doing it for two months. I’ve changed my attitude in this way. In these two months, my family has been happier than in the whole 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 when I shop in the subway; I smile at people on the trading floor who have never seen me smile before. I soon discovered that everyone smiled back at me. To those who