A Classic by Dale Carnegie

As someone who is building a business, you probably read a variety of self help and business books. You know the importance of self-education. Along with all of the great current material, do include some of the classics.

You can always learn something new, regardless of how old the material seems.

Which is why I include the classics in my reading material.

One of these is Dale Carnegie’s “How To Win Friends And Influence People”.

Published in 1936, the content is as rich and valuable in today’s world as it was 75 years ago.

Sections include:

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People,

Six Ways to Make People Like You,

Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking,

Nine Ways to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment,

Letters That Produce Miraculous Results, and

Seven Rules For Making Your Home Life Happier.

To illustrate, read this segment from “A Sure Way of Making Enemies — and How to Avoid It”:

“You can tell a man he is wrong by a look or an intonation or a gesture just as eloquently as you can in words — and if you tell him he is wrong, do you make him want to agree with you? Never! For you have struck a direct blow at his intelligence, his judgment, his pride, his self-respect. That will make him want to strike back. But it will never make him want to change his mind. You may then hurl at him all the logic of Plato or an Immanuel Kant, but you will not alter his opinion, for you have hurt his feelings.”

At the end of Part II he sums up that section with “Six Ways to Make People Like You”

Rule 1: Become genuinely interested in other people

Rule 2: Smile

Rule 3: Remember that a man’s name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

Rule 4: Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

Rule 5: Talk in terms of the other man’s interest.

Rule 6: Make the other person feel important — and do it sincerely.

The writing may seem a little quaint at times and it’s not “politically correct” by today’s standards, so just take into account when it was written and ignore that.

Dale Carnegie was born to poor farmers in Missouri in 1888. He managed to get an education, then tried sales with moderate success. Later he tried acting after attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts but found little success in that line of work.

His greatest achievement is likely the course he developed known simply as the Dale Carnegie Course. It is still popular today more than 50 years after his death. His most famous book, the one I’ve referred to in this article, How to Win Friends and Influence People, has sold over 15 million copies worldwide!

If you’re new to this classic, get a copy and read it. If it’s been a long time since you read it, dig it out and read it again. You’ll be glad you did!