University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
What Do I Say Next?
Book

What Do I Say Next?

Talking Your Way to Business and Social Success

Susan RoAne
Warner Books, 1997
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Editorial Rating

6

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • For Beginners

Recommendation

Everyone can use hints for making business and personal conversations more effective. Susan RoAne offers the do’s and don’ts, from discussing business during lunch to comforting those in mourning. She even devotes a chapter to effective cyber-chatting. She will make you more aware of your body language, facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, and listening skills. Many of RoAne’s suggestions are common-sense and you probably already use them, but not consciously and with much reflection. This may cause you to consider what you do and say, and how you come across. RoAne emphasizes courtesy, respect, and the value of truly listening to others. Her book can help you build confidence and generate lively, informative conversations. Laced with Yiddish expressions and personal experiences, it draws on the author’s experiences as the “mingling maven” keynote speaker.

Summary

The most important attribute of a successful person is the ability to converse effectively.

One key to success in any arena of life is the ability to converse effectively. Many factors influence your conversational ability, including your choice of words, tone of voice, body language, gestures, inflection, facial expressions, and sensitivity.

The ability to communicate effectively is becoming more important as corporations merge or downsize, and as jobs evolve or disappear. Good communication maintains your network of business relationships, and good conversation is its base. The better conversationalist you are, the better an employer, supervisor, manager, and co-worker you will be.

Being able to engage in effective small talk builds business relationships and networks.

Clearly, genuinely liking and caring about people and building confidence in your conversational skills will help you communicate effectively. In this way, small talk isn’t small at all. Mastering it helps you exchange helpful information, nourish relationships, and establish professional and personal networks. “Small talk” frequently leads to “big talk” which contributes to your...

About the Author

Susan RoAne is the author of How to Work a Room and The Secrets of Savvy Networking. Known as the "mingling maven," she travels around the United States as keynote speaker for corporations, retreats, conferences, and rallies.

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