• How to Talk to Anyone

  • Overcome Shyness, Social Anxiety and Low Self-Confidence & Be Able to Chat to Anyone!
  • By: Jennifer Alison
  • Narrated by: Rachel Austin
  • Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (576 ratings)

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How to Talk to Anyone

By: Jennifer Alison
Narrated by: Rachel Austin
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Publisher's summary

Have the ability to talk to anyone with confidence. Always know what to say.

Overcome shyness and gain excellent communication skills fast with easy practical steps.

Updated for 2020, Jennifer Alisons' How to Talk to Anyone is a much-praised international best seller, thanks to its practical and easy-to-implement advice. You do not need to become a doctor and learn endless and often useless medical jargon to become a great conversationalist or know to deal with difficult situations in your life. You just need good solid advice you can implement into your daily life immediately and with ease.

Here's a preview of what you'll learn when you buy this book:

  • Overcome conversational obstacles fast
  • The secret trick that makes conversation so much easier!
  • Quickly overcome difficult thoughts, feelings, and bad habits
  • Do not let social anxiety hold your back
  • What people want from a conversation and how to deliver it
  • The top 15 skills required to be a great conversationalist
  • Dealing with specific difficult circumstances
  • Get over shyness fast, day-by-day
  • Real-life situations and how to solve them
  • Instant confidence tips
  • And much more.

Critic Reviews

“The essential guide to conversation skills, especially for those who usually struggle in social situations.” (London Weekend Magazine, February 2020)

“A book that is sure to help countless people gain the conversation knowledge they have always desired.” (Ellen Rosaland, author)

“....which is why we recommend this book every year.” (NY Knowledge, September 2019)

©2016 Jennifer Alison (P)2016 Jennifer Alison

What listeners say about How to Talk to Anyone

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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Incredibly helpful

If you could sum up How to Talk to Anyone in three words, what would they be?

Very helpful book, full of very good practical advice - the best part is the advice actually felt realistic, it felt like things i could actually do in my own life.

What was one of the most memorable moments of How to Talk to Anyone?

Narration was very good. Loud, clear and engaging voice.

What’s an idea from the book that you will remember?

I guess the thing to remember is the things you will learn from this book will take time to seep in (although i found positive changes immediately!) as you cant expect to change a life-time of habits overnight, but stick with it, it does work. I am walking testament of that!

Any additional comments?

Dealing with social anxiety / anxiety / self-esteem / shyness issues is not easy but it can be beaten. This is a fantastic book that will give you a lot of the tools you need to progress in life.

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Incredibly helpful.

If you could sum up How to Talk to Anyone in three words, what would they be?

Helpful, genuine and life-changing.

Any additional comments?

A genuinely incredible book, helpful to myself who suffers from social anxiety and shyness issues and I'm sure helpful to people from all walks of life.

I now find small-chat and striking up conversations quite easy - this is something i used to find, literally, impossible!

Excellent book, very helpful.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Feel more at ease in social situations

Any additional comments?

Absolutely fantastic book and most definitely my favorite in a very long time. Helped me deal with a load of issues. Social anxiety and shyness issues have always plagued me and they are most definitely not easy to overcome but i found the advice in this book to be excellent.

Of course not everything worked immediately, it did take a week or two for some things to click into place and their is one section (to do with social occasions) i had to listen to several times, but that is fine - u cant expect a life long list of bad habits to be eradicated with a single listen. It does take time but it is worth it.

A wonderful book and i hope it helps you as much as it has helped me.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Shyness is almost totally gone

Would you consider the audio edition of How to Talk to Anyone to be better than the print version?

Well i guess some people prefer to read books but personally i find audiobooks a lot easier to consume

What about Rachel Austin’s performance did you like?

Liked her voice, simple and easy to follow and understand.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

IT ACTUALLY WORKS...which makes a change for books in this genre!

Any additional comments?

I would give this book 9 out of 10. I would have liked a few more of examples of other people who got better but apart from that I LOVED the advice and tips and found it all very very useful!

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19 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Awesome Book!

What did you love best about How to Talk to Anyone?

This book is the kind of book that I think everyone should read and/or listen to. Jennifer provides very real strategies and advice for overcoming the doubt or anxiety that may be associated with certain social situations. Social anxiety can be a crippling thing, and it’s something that many of us go through. I think that Jennifer does a great job in offering her advice. The best part about it is that what she offers, her solutions, are incredibly practical and easy to apply to your own life. That’s what makes it such a great read. If you’re looking for answers to problems that keep surfacing—shyness, the inability to maintain a quality conversation, difficult thoughts, feelings, tough circumstances—then you will want to check this out.

Any additional comments?

Definitely going to recommend this to my friends. In a way, helping spread this information to other people kind of helps all of us in the end. If we all approach social interactions with a level of openness and comfort then it just means that conversations, social gatherings, etc will be more fun and engaging. Glad that I read it!

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17 people found this helpful

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So much better than i expected it to be

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

YES.

Any additional comments?

So much better than i expected it to be. I learned so much and got real practical SOLID tools to use in my own life, really helping with shyness and being able to talk to people, especially strangers or difficult / awkward situations. Highly recommended.

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15 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Dr. Jennifer Alison Saved My Social Life

I was that person who, if you could get me to a party, would always slink in the corner and not want to talk or do anything. If I ever did talk, I never felt like I said the right things, and my conversations were always filled with those dreaded awkward silences.

After taking the time and patience to listen to what Dr. Alison had to say, I am now a much more confident and social person, with many more lasting relationships than I've ever had.

Thank you for saving my social life Dr. Alison!

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Different, but in the best possible way

What did you love best about How to Talk to Anyone?

It was different from the other books i have read about this sort of thing...which was a good thing!

What did you learn from How to Talk to Anyone that you would use in your daily life?

So much about small talk, how to impress people in an HONEST way and not being manipulative or fake.

Any additional comments?

Fantastic. Helpful. Great. An awesome book I have already recommended to many people.

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Very helpful book. Good for everybody

Would you listen to How to Talk to Anyone again? Why?

I’m not a shy person but I don’t enjoy prolonged conversations. I learned more about why my conversational style sometimes rub people the wrong way. I guess I need to be more open to other people’s ideas and try not to always moderate conversations. People tend to react positively to empathy, I’m more likely to point out what you did wrong than tell you sorry. I haven’t gotten the hang of it but I think now if I’m not sure how to respond, I just stay quiet. I guess saying nothing beats saying the wrong thing.

What insight do you think you’ll apply from How to Talk to Anyone?

Practicing reading body language with the TV on mute. It felt like learning to walk around blindfolded. It already improved my manner of approach when I have a few minutes to observe a potential client from a distance. I at least have a rough idea of their moods and this also allows me decide the best way to talk to them.

Any additional comments?

I’ll recommend the book to my friends. In my line of work, being a good conversationalist is very important and I think this book has a lot of good tips they can learn from.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Practical tips for overcoming social awkwardness

What does Rachel Austin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This is my first listen of a Rachel Austin narration. I liked the flow, the conversational tone made it easy for me to listen for long periods. The information is presented in a down-to-earth manner. Rachel Austin delivered a professional and engaging effort that kept the conversation fresh. Her audio cues were also on-point.

What’s an idea from the book that you will remember?

The book has made me more interested in going out. I am also less inclined to ignore phone calls in lieu of messages. I think over time, it had become very easy for me to hide behind text messages and emails especially with family because I didn’t get along too well with my siblings. Now I try my best to talk more and text less. I am still getting the hang of talking to strangers but at least now I’m less likely to brush off an advance from someone new. There might yet be hope for my love life!

Any additional comments?

The author also talked about issues that were very personal to me. Being a person of above average intelligence, I’ve always had problems reading social cues and wondered why conversations seem to do on the downtrend once I get involved. Eventually I began to consciously avoid group discussions except at work where it is unavoidable. One change I made to the way I talk to people was to reduce the way I critiqued their ideas and inadvertently correct people’s grammar and language. I also tried to minimize gesticulations and body language that may indicate irritations. I was so surprised at the results these seemingly little changes brought about to my conversations at work and at home. I’m being giving more time during group sessions and I don’t see the smirks I used to get from my colleagues when I talked or tried to get a message across. This has made me feel more confident and less apprehensive about team sessions. I also noticed it’s easier for me to hold confrontational discussions with my boss without either of us flaring up. I also try to make eye contact more lately than before and at least I now understand that I glared in the past which made people feel like I was judging them, making them defensive. What I liked the most about this book is that I can see that my relationship with others and my conversations have greatly improved. I now look forward to meetings and people smile at me more than before which is a very good feeling that I find that I enjoy a lot. It makes me feel more confident and I owe that to the book. I would gladly recommend this book to everyone. It was a very interesting read for those seeking to improve themselves, great tips for work, family life and even dating and relationships.

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