Introducing Annie's Reading Room

I have been a graduate student. I understand that there are many “non-school” books that you might want to read, but you just don’t have the time. That being said, I don’t want you to miss out on some good information simply because you have other pressing assignments, which is why I’m starting...

Annie’s Reading Room:
“I read the books...so you don’t have to!”

In this little project, I hope to create my own version of a book’s “Cliff’s Notes” (remember those?) by breaking the book into its chapters on a weekly basis and conveying some key takeaways by highlighting useful quotations.

My first installment is "How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age" by Dale Carnegie & Associates.

Stay tuned for next week’s installment when we will dive into the book itself. But to serve as an introduction, below is some information on the book and why it is still relevant almost 8 decades after its original publishing:

Dale Carnegie wrote the original, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" in 1936. Although this updated version of the book incorporates the nuances of relating to others in the digital age, most of its core recommendations still center on the principles of relationship-building. If we do in fact want to win friends and influence others, application of these basic principles are made even more critical by the constant flurry of today’s digital message exchange. Here are some initial key takeaways.

·         The message means just as much as, and is sometimes amplified by, the medium in which it is delivered.  Therefore, once you have something meaningful to offer, only then should you choose the most efficient medium.

·         There is no such thing as a neutral exchange. They all either leave someone a little better or a little worse.

·         The two highest levels of influence are when people follow you because of what you’ve done for them, or follow you for who you are.

Next week we will start at the very beginning with Part One: Essentials of Engagement.

*As a side note, if there are any books that you would like me to add to my “reading list,” please list them in the comments section.