Talk Is (Not!) Cheap: The Art of Conversation Leadershi…

Talk is (Not!) Cheap: The Art of Conversation Leadership
By Jim McCann

I must admit the title caught my eye, and I wanted to read it to improve my own conversation leadership style. There is some good, and some not so good in the book.

Firstly the good. It is a quick and easy read, with a few gems to find that will improve your conversation skills. It would be ideal for a sales manager to pass onto his sales team to read, as they would find some gems in relating to customers.

It does provide a common sense guide of home truths to apply to any conversation. It has ten principles or tips, with the best being common sense “stop talking and start conversing. Start listening to each other. Start asking questions to get more information.”

The not so good, is that it not a leadership guide or manual to improve leadership conversation. It is more a testimony of Jim McCann’s business success. It is a blatant promotion of his company.

The book was disappointing in that it didn’t deliver what the cover promised. As for the ten principles, noting you couldn’t get from google, or talking with your grandfather.