Thoughts to Build On

Don't overlook the advantages of improving
the quality of your speaking voice. Read several of the
many excellent, self-help books on voice and speaking.
Better still, take a speech course under a good instructor.
Finally, it is important to whom you talk. The
more successful people you talk to, the more successful
you, yourself, will be. While you should, for practice, for
good-fellowship and for good-will, talk often to those of
lesser or equal position, be sure to progressively devote
more and more of your time to talking with top leaders
in your company, in your civic and business community.
What can you talk about which will interest
them? Remember those big, invisible signs they are wear-
ing across their chests, reading: "I want to be IMPOR-
TANT!" ... I want to be ADMIRED!" ... "I want to
be APPRECIATED!" Talk to important people in those
terms and all of them will always be interested in what
you say.
Offer to cooperate with important people, es-
pecially in helping with their pet civic and charity projects.
Your conversation-with your offer to help which it conveys
-will always enable you to talk with ease with the most
important people. Also it will lead to new contacts with
other important people with whom to talk.
Offer profitable suggestions to the top execu-
tives of your company. But first try to be as sure as possible
that your idea really will work. Let's face it. A top execu-
tive with long experience knows a lot more than a younger
employee with much less experience (if that's what you
are). That doesn't preclude your having better and pro:6.t-