Five Stars
The Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great
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4.3 • 23 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“As technology threatens to displace countless jobs and skills, the ability to communicate is becoming more important than ever. This book is full of examples to help you get better at transporting your thoughts and emotions into the minds of other people.” —Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take, Originals, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg
How to master the art of persuasion—from the bestselling author of Talk Like TED.
Ideas don’t sell themselves. As the forces of globalization, automation, and artificial intelligence combine to disrupt every field, having a good idea isn’t good enough. Mastering the ancient art of persuasion is the key to standing out, getting ahead, and achieving greatness in the modern world. Communication is no longer a “soft” skill—it is the human edge that will make you unstoppable, irresistible, and irreplaceable—earning you that perfect rating, that fifth star.
In Five Stars, Carmine Gallo, bestselling author of Talk Like TED, breaks down how to apply Aristotle’s formula of persuasion to inspire contemporary audiences. As the nature of work changes, and technology carries things across the globe in a moment, communication skills become more valuable—not less. Gallo interviews neuroscientists, economists, historians, billionaires, and business leaders of companies like Google, Nike, and Airbnb to show first-hand how they use their words to captivate your imagination and ignite your dreams.
In the knowledge age—the information economy—you are only as valuable as your ideas. Five Stars is a book to help you bridge the gap between mediocrity and exceptionality, and gain your competitive edge in the age of automation.
In Five Stars, you will also learn:
-The one skill billionaire Warren Buffett says will raise your value by 50 percent.
-Why your job might fall into a category where 75 percent or more of your income relies on your ability to sell your idea.
-How Airbnb’s founders follow a classic 3-part formula shared by successful Hollywood movies.
-Why you should speak in third-grade language to persuade adult listeners.
-The one brain hack Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, and Picasso used to unlock their best ideas.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Gallo (The Storyteller's Secret), a communications coach, presents an energetic and convincing guide to developing critical communications and presentation skills. The art of persuasion, he argues, is no longer an optional "soft skill," but the most important skill one can acquire. Everyone has the potential, he writes, to move and excite people through storytelling, and even a small edge gained by narrative skill yields a large advantage. In pressing home the necessity of strong communications skills, Gallo illustrates his point with communications superstars like Neil deGrasse Tyson, who skillfully uses Twitter to deliver his message, and lesser-known but highly effective leaders who have built their businesses on the power to persuade. Mastering these skills, he says, will make the reader "irreplaceable and irresistible" to employers. He recycles some material from previous books, particularly in the sections on the principles of successful TED Talks, but readers are likely to find his clear, prescriptive ideas, such as picking one central theme per presentation, and exhortations to focus their passion and overcome their fears highly useful in developing their own narratives. The resulting book is a to-the-point, appropriately persuasive guide to using narrative to build one's business or brand.
