How to Be a People Person

I was really disappointed with this title. In a nutshell, it says what should be blindingly obvious to adults. Perhaps it would be better for teenagers, particularly those who are shy or have trouble with making friends and maintaining relationships.

Unfortunately my copy will end up at a second-hand bookshop. Instead, I recommend the people skills books by Leil Lowndes. You have been warned!

This book is great for a laugh.

If you are feeling a bit down and are stuggling with your personal relationships then read this book not for advice but just for a giggle.

The principals are there but if you lack these particular skills then you need a more in depth book. The book brushes the surface of many different issues without truly analysing the root cause of how or why you find yourself in these situations.

It also then goes a bit over board on the examples and has some laugh out loud moments such as don't over praise someone if they have baked cake, unless of course they are disabled in which case high praise is needed as it is a huge accomplishment for them!!

Or un-necessary things to say such as never mind, you can always have another baby.

If it has ever crossed your mind to heap such praise or use such comments then you need more in-depth help than this book can provide but if you are looking for a light hearted over view of conversations and social context then this is the book for you.

This book has helped me a lot. Having had a pretty isolated and difficult childhood and adolescence, I'd grown into an adult desperate to be accepted and yet isolated, unable to communicate effectively or be assertive. I simply didn't know how. Since reading this book, I've come to understand how to change from being passive to being assertive, and when to be aggressive. My fear of being isolated made me afraid to assert myself, to speak up. I stuttered, spoke hesitantly, head-bent... It was terrific to see all my behaviour described by a total stranger - so precisely - in this book! And to have passages and passages on how to fix it. I didn't even know there was a term for my behaviour ('passive' / 'passive-aggressive'). To know that there was a way forward...! It was very reassuring. 'How to be a people person helped me understand the methods people use to get what they want and how to win their respect and appreciation (and how to protect myself from bullying). I was refused promotion because of my inability to assert myself and to lead a team. Heck, as the book says, inability to communicate effectively is the biggest problem of the passive mind. The book tells me how to correct that and I think Marianna Csoti is one cool and fabulous human being for taking the time to write down her excellent tips. I'm applying them daily and feel really so much liberated and sure of myself where-ever the leaves may fall. I am me and proud to be...everyday. There's still a lot of work to do on me, but this book has given me a wonderful headstart

I bought this book for my students who work with people and encounter many of the scenarios that the author highlights.
It was not only a fantastic reference for so many situations, both common and uncommon, but also very accessible. There is less of the academic language and more of the down to earth language that people can relate to on a day to day basis. This book is both practical and accessible to all, whatever you think your people skills are already.