The Art of Civilized Conversation: A Guide to Expressing Yourself With Style and Grace,   ISBN:9780767921695

Customer Rating: 

I bought this book at a thrift shop for 25 cents. It has been worth every penny and much more.

This book presents specific guidelines on how to deal kindly with various types of people and how to conduct yourself politely in a multitude of social situations. In addition, it offers "do's" and "don't's" of what to say in short, simple sentences. You could practice the "do's" at home and memorize them so you will be prepared at any time.

I enjoyed this book immensely because I am often confronted with very rude people. This book helped me to see that the people who upset me are actually NOT behaving according to proper rules of etiquette, and they ARE genuinely rude. This book has helped me to understand how I can effectively deal with rude people without being rude myself. (Question: Do rude people get offended when others are rude to them???)

This book is a valuable resource for anyone who deals with people as part of their job, or for anyone of any age or situation in life who wants to live peacefully and happily with those around him.

I enjoyed reading this book through once and will enjoy rereading it many times in the future. This book was so well done that if I could find a polite way to present it to my rude friends and associates, I would! Maybe the author even has a suggestion on how to do that with grace and style! A big THANK YOU to the author: You have brought a ray of class and elegance into my life which I will cherish for years.

Customer Rating: 

I borrowed this book from the library and now would like to have a copy of my own. I liked the author's informal conversational style. This book was easy to read and organized into chapters which you can read all at once or just refer to as needed.

It's true that much of her advice seems obvious: tell the truth, don't interrupt, ask questions. However, judging from many of the conversations I have had, we often forget these common-sense rules. The most useful parts of the book for me were the suggestions for opening a conversation, dealing with difficult people and recovering from conversational blunders.

This book is not a manual for learning how to manipulate people socially, in business or romance. Instead it is a handbook for people who are interested in turning conversation into connections. Most of the interactions we have with our family, friends and coworkers have very little content. This book helps us build the skills to make the most of each interaction.

Customer Rating: 

I picked this up after seeing it on Ralph Nader's summer reading list of 2006. It's a fast read, and fairly well written. For someone who has *never* read anything on building relationships or basics of conversation, this is a good book. However, I've read several in this genre before, and it doesn't present anything new. I didn't learn anything, but since the time investment wasn't very great, I don't feel as if I sacrificed much of my time. It was a good reminder for the basics I already had learned.

Customer Rating: 

This book is helpful in stressful situation: it suggests best possible answers for difficult situations in work and at home. The book helps to be and to feel a real lady always, in all situations. It can be used for all ages.

Customer Rating: 

I wouldn't exactly say that it's not a good book, however, it is very basic. Unless you are a teenager or a young adult, or have problems connecting in social situations because of shyness or otherwise, you will find that this book doesn't offer anything new. I don't need to buy a book that tells me that I need to ask questions, listen more than talk, and advise me on how to accept compliments. But of course for anyone who does, this might be helpful.