The Social Skills Guidebook: Manage Shyness, Improve Your Conversations, and Make Friends, Without Giving Up Who You Are Paperback – January 19, 2016

I somehow manage to get by socially in superficial settings (although I always feel almost ill after any 5-minute water cooler chat and have to go be by myself for a bit to recover) and even have a job requiring public speaking about 30% of the time (which I absolutely hate, but the remaining 70% of the time is solitary, and I just don't think I'd survive for more than a few days if I had to work as part of a team or even share an office with anyone). I've only had one or two friends in my entire life - and those were back in middle school. Ever since, I've been so alone it would take weeks for anyone to notice if I died. Every single interaction with every single human being has always felt like an "obstacle course" that I just have to get past.. preferably as quickly as possible, and hopefully with as little damage as possible. The idea that interactions can be enjoyable is novel to me. Groundbreaking. Earth-shattering.I've read ALL the books (probably well over a hundred books over the years), had ALL the therapy, and tried ALL the techniques - with barely any results. So I've been saying I might have to write my own book on how to function socially, if I figure it out eventually...Well, this book makes me believe I may not have to write my own book after all!! It feels like someone has already written it. Finally something that makes me feel like I am not alone in my struggles. The author just gets it.To use a metaphor, other books on social skills are like "just get in your car and drive 3 miles to the north and then you'll see a shopping mall." This book is like "this is how you get into the car and adjust your seat. Here is the gas pedal and here is the brake. And this is how you use the GPS. And this is how you will be able to recognize the shopping mall. And this is what you do if you get lost on your way."That's just what I need. Maybe to some people it's obvious why they want to socialize and what they do with friends once they acquire some, not to mention how to go about acquiring them in the first place. But to me, it is not. It's something I've never known before. It's something I've had so little modeling for, growing up, that I didn't even have the slightest idea about how things work. This book just fills these gaps - these abysses! - in my knowledge in a most satisfying way. I'm actually kind of excited to try to improve, now that I have at least some concrete guidance on how to do it.Thank you, Chris MacLeod, from the bottom of my heart.

This is the first book I would recommend to anyone who is having difficulty with shyness, awkwardness, or social challenges.. There's a great deal of practical, down to earth advice in this book. I've read too many other books in a similar vein which make a bunch of wild promises and feel closer to your typical "self-help" book for lack of a better term. This isn't one of those books.A few of the things I really liked about this book:- The emphasis on taking small, realistic steps towards a greater goal. There's a really good balance between starting from where you are at, but also keeping an eye on the bigger picture- Helpful suggestions. Usually in these kinds of books the suggestions are either completely obvious and inane or too crazy and out there. This book has some really helpful tips for troubleshooting your way around some of the usual problems that come up when you're struggling with social issues.- Comprehensive. This book does a really good job of not only addressing social interactions, but also guiding you through various ideas and exercises to help with other areas affecting your social skills.

If you feel you're lacking certain social skills, this is a pretty solid book. Overall it's very well written and thorough, but it may be a bit too thorough for most people. Unless you're severely socially impaired, you'll probably find 90% of this book to be common sense, with the other 10% being actually useful advice. I do think it's worth reading because I definitely walked away with some new insights, but I'd recommend skimming over sections you don't feel you need help with, otherwise this book might feel like a waste of time.

I'm an introvert that gets tired from large events and at most just listen at times. There are times where I rather be somewhere else than a mandatory party I have to attend or sit through.This book gives you a shift in mindset that helps you improve as an individual. Each chapter, there are key points to focus on and examples to try out and be aware of. Make the situation work for you, and don't depend on other people to make it fun and comfortable for you. This book won't solve all your issues, but it gives bite size information for you to think about and improve yourself!

One of the most comprehensive, thorough books you will ever read on improving social skills. You owe it to yourself to buy this. The author really gets it and I have emailed him and he has responded to me which was really nice. His website has most, if not all, of this stuff too but to get it in book form is a treat. I view this book as mandatory reading for those with social anxiety, shyness, or who struggle to make friends and feel comfortable around people. While not totally clinical in nature, it presents great "common sense" advice from a guy who's been there and gets us. Thanks and keep updating the website with new articles, that may make into into a second edition someday. Bravo!

I didn't buy this. My wife bought it for herself, so she should be reviewing it. I gave it 3 stars because she still doesn't have any social skills. She darts into traffic just to avoid people on the sidewalk. I thought it was Covid at first, but I have learned it's because she is deathly afraid of common pleasantries. Our small talk has maybe even gotten worse upon her reading this. She now wants to talk about things like me leaving my socks around, or not doing the dishes enough. No social awareness. 3 stars.