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Communication Toolkit for Introverts
If you are an introvert, tired of playing by extrovert rules in business communications, now you can finally find your voice and be heard. Patricia Weber is an internationally recognized expert on radio and in print as supporting and inspiring introverts, since 2006. She is a Coachville coach graduate, a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, an award winning top-selling salesperson and sales manager, and a two-time award winner of Peninsula Women's Networker of the Year (only the second member in its 30 years to receive this award twice). Learn how to successfully get your ideas heard in business by employing the Introvert’s Toolkit. Discover what natural strengths you have and how you can enhance them through real-world scenarios and techniques to get yourself using business communication effectively. Starting with a personal assessment, every chapter builds up your confidence when communicating by employing a mix of tips and techniques, creating inspired actions plans, and expanding on the strengths and skills you already possess. We cover a variety of areas from essential communication skills through to developing negotiation skills and conflict management – everything you need to succeed in any business setting. This guide will provide any motivated introvert with the necessary tools to build extensive communication skills and forge ahead and fulfil their potential in what many label as a more extroverted business world.
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 21, 2015
This book offers a practical, time-tested, research-based approach to improving the skill sets of the more introverted among us (myself included). In it, the author guides us to view situations in which an introvert might normally be uncomfortable, such as giving a presentation, selling a product, service, or idea to a customer or a co-worker, networking, or negotiating, as opportunities. To capitalize on these opportunities, we are advised to both draw on our inherent strengths of listening, preparing, and keeping a calm demeanor as well as strategically applying some of the elements from more extroverted individuals, including making emotional connections and sharing our genuine selves.
The books opens with a discussion that leads to a fuller understanding of what introversion and extroversion are and, in the process, demystifies a number of myths surrounding each. Then, the heart of the book covers listening, participating in business meetings, giving presentations, dealing with conflict, negotiating, and persuasion. Each chapter takes a mature approach involving a clarification of terms involved, an assessment of your current skills, and (as the title suggests) a set of useful tools, tips, and techniques to improve your performance in that area. I appreciate that the author gives a bibliography of research sources to support the suggestions.
Overall, I think the book is well-written and would be useful for introverts who have not mastered these skills, most likely in the first half of their careers. Additionally, I could see that an extroverted manager might benefit from a deepened understanding of introverts whom they manage, and may be able to structure the working "environment" (in the broadest sense of that term) better as a result. The only negative is that I felt there were a number of typos in the text that should have been eliminated during the proofreading process, which is a shame, because it is clear the author is a highly skilled communicator.
The books opens with a discussion that leads to a fuller understanding of what introversion and extroversion are and, in the process, demystifies a number of myths surrounding each. Then, the heart of the book covers listening, participating in business meetings, giving presentations, dealing with conflict, negotiating, and persuasion. Each chapter takes a mature approach involving a clarification of terms involved, an assessment of your current skills, and (as the title suggests) a set of useful tools, tips, and techniques to improve your performance in that area. I appreciate that the author gives a bibliography of research sources to support the suggestions.
Overall, I think the book is well-written and would be useful for introverts who have not mastered these skills, most likely in the first half of their careers. Additionally, I could see that an extroverted manager might benefit from a deepened understanding of introverts whom they manage, and may be able to structure the working "environment" (in the broadest sense of that term) better as a result. The only negative is that I felt there were a number of typos in the text that should have been eliminated during the proofreading process, which is a shame, because it is clear the author is a highly skilled communicator.
May 13, 2017
I haven't actually finished this; I put it down a while ago and I don't know if I can bear to pick it up again because the writing and editing are SO BAD. It's really a shame, because the subject matter is so helpful and when I wade through the swampiness of the writing I can pick out some really useful ideas. Ms. Weber, I really wish you had gotten a better editor and spent more time polishing the writing, because this is important stuff! It's the only book for introverts by an introvert, other than Quiet (which is great) that I've found on my recent searches. I guess I'll have to read the ones written by the extroverts, or write my own.
February 24, 2015
I really wanted to like Communication Toolkit for Introverts, given that it combines two of my professional passions: communications skills and introversion.
And the truth is that there's some great content in here. I loved the author's recognition that no two introverts are identical, and that just because something tends to be true of introverts overall doesn't mean it necessarily has to be true for any one specific person. The actual communication and confidence-building techniques she recommends are great too. I actually hadn't come across her afformation technique - where you turn an affirmation into a "why" question - before, and I'm curious to try it out for myself.
However, where the book fell down for me was in the quality of the editing. It might not bother other people so much: I freely acknowledge that as a copywriter and editor myself, I'm probably more sensitive to mangled language than the average person. But - especially in the first half of the book - the constant stream of dangling modifiers, number disagreement, person disagreement and random punctuation within sentences kept pulling me out of my reading flow and distracting me from processing what the author was saying. And because of that, I found the book far more difficult to get through than it needed to be.
That's a shame, because without the editing issues, I'd have had no hesitation giving Communication Toolkit for Introverts an unqualified recommendation to my introvert community members and clients. As it is, I find myself really hoping that the author will release a second edition with all the issues fixed, so I can recommend it as a resource without tacking "Just be warned: if you're a language geek like me, you WILL have issues with the editing" on the end each time.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
And the truth is that there's some great content in here. I loved the author's recognition that no two introverts are identical, and that just because something tends to be true of introverts overall doesn't mean it necessarily has to be true for any one specific person. The actual communication and confidence-building techniques she recommends are great too. I actually hadn't come across her afformation technique - where you turn an affirmation into a "why" question - before, and I'm curious to try it out for myself.
However, where the book fell down for me was in the quality of the editing. It might not bother other people so much: I freely acknowledge that as a copywriter and editor myself, I'm probably more sensitive to mangled language than the average person. But - especially in the first half of the book - the constant stream of dangling modifiers, number disagreement, person disagreement and random punctuation within sentences kept pulling me out of my reading flow and distracting me from processing what the author was saying. And because of that, I found the book far more difficult to get through than it needed to be.
That's a shame, because without the editing issues, I'd have had no hesitation giving Communication Toolkit for Introverts an unqualified recommendation to my introvert community members and clients. As it is, I find myself really hoping that the author will release a second edition with all the issues fixed, so I can recommend it as a resource without tacking "Just be warned: if you're a language geek like me, you WILL have issues with the editing" on the end each time.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
January 31, 2015
Very intelligent in-depth writing based on research from reputable organisations. Patricia Weber’s astute observations are of interest not only to introverts but those of us who are extroverts as well by making us understand why different kinds of people behave the way they do in business. Reading the book will give you an insight into how introverts as well as extroverts act and hence make it easier for you to read your colleagues and counterparts. From Patricia’s description of different aspects of introverts and extroverts I also learnt that, at least part of, the reason I’m an evening person is because I’m extrovert. The drawback is the dull cover and formatting. But ignore that because what Patricia Weber writes is excellent and the book is really worth reading.
Communication Toolkit for IntrovertsPatricia Weber
Communication Toolkit for IntrovertsPatricia Weber
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews