Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions
I am just about finished reading an amazing book. Enchantment was introduced to me by an email by Guy Kawasaki and I was happy to take an early peek at it. First thought was I was going to get an education on using social media to attract more people and build stronger communities, I was wrong. Of course the book does this but the messaging in the book speaks to more than just online and social interactions. What Guy does in this book is sets the framework for how anyone can affect change and enchant people on every level. At it’s core Enchantment is a book that inspires people to be better in every aspect of their lives.
Here’s the official description:
The entrepreneur’s entrepreneur is back with his ninth book, this time tackling the tricky art of influence and persuasion. Kawasaki (Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging and Outmarketing Your Competition, 2011, etc.) transforms the otherwise exhausted and overwrought tropes of how to win friends and influence people with a complete makeover here, whether he’s talking about wardrobe choice or tips for effective swearing.
The author, a modern-day Dale Carnegie, offers explanations on how to wield the most influence in the digital age: Push Technologies like presentations, e-mails and Twitter are discussed as active means of enchanting others, while Pull Technologies like Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn passively draw them in. The author’s suggestions for achieving likeability and trustworthiness, as well as overcoming resistance, are thoroughly explained and can easily translate from the workplace to the real world. Kawasaki makes good use of subheads and bullet points, rendering information in a searchable format.
He ends each chapter with an anecdote that illuminates the effectiveness of his techniques–while it’s not original, it’s effective. The author’s trademark light and airy style is on display, but it’s his humor and empathy that makes the heavy use of BusinessSpeak and buzzwords more easily palatable.
Informative, concise guide from one of America’s most influential and, yes, enchanting entrepreneurs.
