Peggy Klaus

In a nutshell, this book is about elevator speeches. If you have studied up on this subject before than this book may not prove to be all that ground breaking. If not, then you should definitely pick it up as it covers a very important topic in the business world and provides valuable nuggets sprinkled throughout.

I didn't care all that much for the format which was essentially a bunch of stories of other people, which is all nice and dandy but I could have analyzed the same stories and concluded everything on my own without her interpretations but I am still not quite so sure about how to convey my own success. Her examples covered mainly CEO's, Presidents, etc. so no wonder their story sounds amazing!! Gee, wouldn't have guessed.

I also got distracted by several spelling/typo errors throughout her book, it becomes even more glaring when the book is covering the topic of effective communication.… (más)

People are given opportunities to tell about themselves -- to brag -- every day. Meeting new people, performance reviews, job interviews, upon being congratulated, all are opportunities to brag. Rarely do we take them, out of fear of being perceived as braggarts. Peggy Klaus's message is that we *should* take them, that it's possible to do so without being perceived as a braggart if you do so in the right way, and that you won't get what you're looking for unless you come off as a successful and active person. The book is strung through with "good" and "bad" examples of her type of bragging gone wrong, and there are lists and hints throughout at how to craft better messages. (She also takes the time to tell stay-at-home parents that they need to be able to talk about themselves, not their kids, in social situations, which I thought was a well-needed reminder.)

I liked this book. It has me convinced that 1) I need to take these opportunities that come my way without being so shamefaced, and that 2) I need to craft a set of stories and responses sooner rather than later that I can toss out in interactions with others that allow them to perceive me as I perceive myself. One of the most useful lists in the book (if I ever did it) was a list of twelve questions designed to help you think about where you've been, what you're doing now, what you have to offer, and what makes you memorable (available as the "Take-12" questionnaire at www.bragbetter.com and the Common Knowledge section here) -- starting there, you can start crafting blurbs to have ready in mind when an opportunity arises to, well, brag.… (más)