This book was very well written and researched. I was thinking at first it might be a book on public speaking and improving presentations, but instead it is more focused on interpersonal skills and one-on-one communications. The first part of the book is taken up with identifying possible reasons people might struggle with communication, from social awkwardness to social anxiety to shyness or autism. There are ways to identify common traits that might cause us to be uneasy in social situations such as overly critical self-talk or a strong negativity bias that anticipates bad outcomes from other people or social situations. I liked some of the suggestions for overcoming these problems such as "adopting an alter ego" and "becoming your own cheerleader." Easier said than done, but there are plenty of ideas for helping you to come out of your shell and look toward positive, rather than possible negative, motives and outcomes. One section dealt with how to become a confident communicator, since confidence is identified as an important factor in how other see us (although how you can overcome not being the preferred "conventional beauty archetype" isn't explained). The book also includes advice on how to employ active listening, ask the right questions in a social situation, and handling difficult people. At the end, there are even lists of good and bad topic suggestions for small talk to help you prepare for any upcoming situations that might arise. Overall, I found the book to have lots of practical suggestions and clear examples of how to become better prepared, confident, and more at-ease in social situations. I received a copy of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

The Author does a great job explaining why some people have difficulties talking to others in social situations, and overcoming the awkwardness that comes with being shy. they go into good detail on the causes and explains in detail how to attempt to overcome these obstacles. Being one of these types of people, this is an invaluable source of information for me! Definitely a great read!! ( )

I found People Person to be a quick, accessible read. For me the points which were the most intriguing were those which discussed small talk (something I dread), and the reasons we communicate with others. I liked how there were action steps at the end of each chapter. I wonder if there could be action steps after the first chapter to keep it consistent. In terms of writing style I found it redundant when Williams wrote "in the next chapter...". I feel the work may be stronger without that direct point. Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for tips and encouragement to easily communicate with others. ( )

Some helpful approaches to self talk and identifying nonverbal cues/body language.

I'm 61 years old and have always felt socially awkward talking to people. I thought that perhaps this book would give me some ideas and pointers. Most of the book was just stating the obvious, but the main idea I came away with was that "it takes practice." So I will try to practice more. ( )