Review: On my way to making Friends!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 14, 2013
As much as I hate to admit it I am a bit socially awkward and an obvious introvert. I can be in a room full of people that I interact with on a weekly basis and still be in a corner by myself - that has left me pretty much without friends. Though I like being alone I do wish I could be a little more extroverted so that I could actually have even small talk with people because after all that is how relationships start.This book was a good price and if you have read any of my other reviews here on Amazon you would have realized that I love to read. (Another indicator that I am an introvert - head always stuck in a book.) The problem isn't that I am not approachable as I am very approachable but my response I guess kind of shoots people down so nothing can flourish. Hence my main interactions are with my kids (both under four years old).So I decided to get this book - thought there was nothing to lose either way. Right away the book goes into how perfecting the art of small talk can help you and it had my need there which is to make new friends if you haven't been following my rant above. It then helped me to see why I was not engaging in small talk because I would always feel awkward and would have no idea what to say most times. (That is actually two reasons and there are more in the book if these are not your issues.) It helped me to understand my fear and to understand extroverts and their ability to have small talk with anyone and everyone they meet.The part of this book that I loved the best was in Chapter 3. They gave you the steps to succeed at small talk and took each step one at a time and elaborated on it. Which was absolutely perfect for someone like me who thinks that small talk is so dreadful. Then the book went on to talk about specific instances or needs that small talk could satisfy.I am still an introvert but I believe that this book has made me a little more open to small talk. I was out today and responded favorably to a comment of someone waiting beside me. We smiled at each other. No I didn't make a friend in my first try but at least I was able to get a word out and it was rewarding as the person responded with  a smile which tells me I wasn't a complete idiot.Good book and one I recommend to all the introverts out there having trouble with small talk.