How to Work a Room, 25th Anniversary Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Making Lasting Connections--In Person and Online

This is a great textbook on working a room. On this particular subject it may be even THE ultimate textbook. Susan RoAne covered everything from exhibits via high school reunions to funeral services. Wow, what a tremendous experience! Susan was on schedule for more meetings than I changed diapers (and changed a lot of them).But this is not some boring textbook which can substitute for a soothing lullaby. Not at all. This book is packed with both fun and interesting stories. Most of them came directly from Susan’s rich array of experiences. That makes the book far from the dreadful image of a textbook.First some areas where it may have fell short for some users. As a representative of a (relatively) young generation I found her explanations of different social platforms boring. I skimmed through these and went straight to more “meaty” parts. But someone in his sixties may feel exactly opposite.I also find the book a bit repetitive, but I’m not the kind of guy who shun from repetition. It helps to retain the lessons longer.Connecting is hard, but she makes it easySusan also writes vividly. When she admits that mingling and talking to strangers is hard, I wholeheartedly agree with her. I was a shrinking violet who transformed into a confident person, so I went through quite a lot. 30 months ago I couldn’t say “Hi” to a stranger.When Susan explains how to make it happen, it sounds fun and easy. I vote for her methods. I verified everything she teaches; every trick from her arsenal, which I knew and used worked as she prescribed. And I got some interesting results too. Since “shrinking violet” times I built a couple of deep friendships by starting conversations on a train to work. I also spoke with strangers about life-death issues.Working a room masteryBut it was just the introductory part of the book. From there the author goes into room-working and that’s where her mastery really shows. She has a knack for breaking high plane ideas into actionable items. Susan has also a tendency to make a list whenever possible. There are an enormous number of lists and action steps included. And after each chapter you will find a quick summary, again in bullet points or the form of list, which makes for easy reading.It’s really amazing how she was able to systematize and distill such intangible topic as human relationships.Her ideas comes down to common sense. You won’t find there any backbreaking manipulation techniques which can be mastered only by years of training. I appreciate that because of the following reasons: Common sense is nowadays uncommon I don’t really know what common sense calls for in many situations; for example I have never been on reunion or a trade show.I loved Susan’s advice on working virtual rooms. I’m not too bad in working them myself. I’ve been noticed by several people with 6 and 7 figure income businesses and obtained their help. I recognized in her advice my approach: just be genuine.Not one-read kind of a bookI’m sure I’ll be going back to How to Work a Room time after time. The structure of book makes it easy to find just a particular kind of “room” and refresh the lesson in your mind. Now, before any new event I’ll take this book and skim an appropriate chapter.If you are thinking about any career involving face- to-face contact with people (and most of careers demands at least basic social skills) How to Work a Room is a must read.

Basically, as far as the content, the review title says it all. If you grew up as a Baby Boomer, most of the "advice" given in this book is what your parents taught you. The younger you are, the more benefit that you should get from this book.As I read this book, I kept saying to myself, "Big deal. I know that." The problem is that a great many younger people don't and that is what will make this book useful for them. When I read Chapter 21 where the author basically summarizes the "advice" that was presented earlier, I realized that she did cover a lot of ground. Up to that point, it really appeared that she was beating the same drum and that was attributable to her style.I've found a few faults with the book. First, the content is a little uneven. There are some things that the author goes into too much detail compared to others. I thought that some of the "side stories" were weak. And, please give me a break. "Planet Points?" You have to be kidding Susan. The book would have been much better without mentioning the left-wing kooks and ideas, etc.Lastly, the copy editing in this book is terrible. Such that the author had to insert a special disclaimer. A case in point is e-mail vs email. The former is correct; the later is not. Interesting, since the other e-words were done correctly.Bottom line: A worthwhile read for all of us. A must read for younger generations -- take it to heart.

I used and benefited from an early edition of this book 20+ years ago. Bought this new edition to see if it was better. It is. And updated. Bought copies for all the attorneys in my firm.

This book was suggested to me as someone who has struggled with shyness. Never cared much for these types of books and I will honestly say only about half of it was applicable to me. But the parts that I could connect with where good. A lot was pretty common sense based but I actually used some of the tips and found them helpful so I recommend this to anyone looking for a little help in the "being social" department

I wish I read this book when it first came out 25 years ago. Most of the content I learned the hard way though mistakes and other sources. It would be a great gift for a graduate.

The 25th Anniversary edition of this book continues to be classic. Susan RoAne describes straight forward but often underutilized social graces that can be used to increase business and networking opportunities. How to Work a Room provides necessary tools that can be used in all social settings to meet the demands of having conversations in uncomfortable situations. The book gives helpful hints to get through the initial stages of the process. The chapters are laid out in an instructional and informational style with excellent examples and stories to support its thesis. This belongs on everyone’s top 10 books to read this year. A must read.Farrell J. Chiles, author, "As BIG As It Gets"

Wow... This book is filled with incredible advice. It feels like my father or grandfather giving me their words of wisdom, all summarized in a short (yet thorough book.This book provides real life examples and suggestions that are actionable when working a room. It was EXACTLY what I was looking for.I’m looking forward to putting this information into practice, and seeing how my business and social circle expands.Very thankful

Good book. Good info. Really should be a must read for all young adults. Full of good tips on ways to communicate and conduct ourselves in public.

I didn't like this book at all - 370 of waffle which could have been consolidated into about 20 pages.The book is full of "when I did this" "when I did that" " I have friend who did this" etc .. I'm sure you get the drift... pages and pages of examples.Most of the stuff mentioned around manners and etiquette is common sense. As someone lacking in confidence I was told this book would help but it hasn't in the slightest. I didn't even get to the end .. and stopped after 2/3rds of the way through.This will be going int he charity bag :-/

Having met and worked with Susan, I can put hand on heart and say she is an absolute treasure. This book is too! The most recent addition of this classic book has been fully updated to include the digital world. It’s your ‘one-stop shop’ book on how to make connections that count and that leave a positive lasting impression. This book must be in your personal library if you want to master the art of mingling and working the room. Learn from the best – and that’s Susan RoAne.

Great resource for anyone wanted to learn about networking

This is a fairly good primer for updating your perspective on interacting with strangers.I was actually hoping the book would do a bit more hand-holding in terms of giving sample phrases or topics so introverts like me could gradually build up our confidence by practicing from set exercises. But most of the chapters just tell us to think of ideas on our own...Don't get me wrong, it still offers a ton of great advice. I especially like the suggestion to say "Good to see you" instead of "Pleased to meet you", just in case you actually met the person before and forgot your previous meeting! It can save quite a bit of embarrassment.Overall, I think it's a fairly good book that one could revisit every few months to remind oneself of the do's and don'ts of social engagement. It's not as practical as I was hoping for, but it serves as a good starting point.

This is an excellent social skills book that is extremely helpful and practical especially for people who are not extreme extroverts. Susan Roane doesn't just describe the problem of how to integrate into, cope with and even come to enjoy, large social gatherings, she explains practical and easy-to-apply ways of doing so that are really not far beyond what any of us can do. She also gives excellent suggestions about how to think about these events which help make the behavioural tools more likely to be used. I was recommending this book to people 25 years ago and I am happy that it is readily available now.