There are many life skills that teens could use to help them with their futures. One of those learning how to talk to and deal with people. These skills could take them far in helping them succeed in school, work and life. One of the books I have read that is a great resource for that skill is Smile & Succeed for Teens by Kirt Manecke.
How important are people skills?
Having good people skills is an important aspect in social interactions. When we are presenting ourselves to others, when we smile, we can’t help but show a happy and positive tone. It also helps to make us seem more approachable.
Last week, in the post Teens and Technology – Making Good Choices, we talked about the effects of technology on teens. With teens being more and more engaged with their smartphones, they are becoming less and less engaged with in person interactions. Teaching them how to interact positively and confidently with other people is a very important life skill for them to develop. Knowing how to interact with people is a great skill to not only have, but be good at. It can lead to great things
Sharon’s Book Review
Book Title
Smile & Succeed for Teens
Author
Kirt Manecke
Type of Book
Teen social skills/self help
Author Background
Kirt Manecke has a background in marketing, sales and fundraising. That experience has lead him to create very positive customer service experiences for his clients. He writes from his experiences in his books about customer service and the importance of a smile while doing it. He lives in Milford, Michigan with his rescue dog Ozzie.
Summary of the book
In this book and Smile: Sell More with Amazing Customer Service, Manecke focuses on the importance of good customer service and how we as teens or adults can position ourselves to give it. While these skills are important in customer service, they also transfer to many other parts of our lives.
This book is full of tips and things to think about to develop positive people skills. He thoughtfully breaks each aspect down into small sections and chapters like top 10 people skills and using people skills to get a job. Not only so the reader can really focus on that skill, but be able look up a specific skill they want to read about. It really isn’t a book you sit down and read all at once, but you can. The ideas he presents in here may take some time and practice to add to your skill set.
Reaction to the book
For me, reading this book was a great review of skills that I learned through the experience of interviewing for jobs and working in the retail field. I worked as a cashier and a manager and customer service was a big part of it. The presentation of the material is great for learning about each of the topics individually. The sections are short and sweet and easy to understand.
As we are talking about teen life skills this month, I think this is a great book to show to our teens. Manecke focuses a lot on the the importance of smiling when communicating with others. Doing this brings across a happy and positive tone. It also helps to make us seem more approachable. I agree, it makes a big difference in our presentation of ourselves. Even with teens focusing on their smartphones and technology, they still need to interact with others. Smile & Succeed for Teens is a great book to help them get better at these important life skills.
We can put it up on their shelf as a great reference guide for people skills. Or, for your smartphone focused teen, this book also comes in an ebook version that can be downloaded to their phone, for easy access and reading.
There is also Smile: Sell More with Amazing Customer Service which is geared towards the sales side of customer service. (It is the book that Smile & Succeed for Teens is based on) It would be another great resource for you or your teen.
Link to the author
If you want to learn more about the author, here is a link to his website Kirt Manecke.
Link to the book
If you want to purchase a copy of Smile & Succeed for Teens, it is available on Amazon via this link Smile & Succeed for Teens. And on his website.
Link to Resources at Mentoring A Dream
Are you looking for resources for you or your teen to help them with challenges they are facing? Be sure to check out our Resources page.
Need more Coming-of-Age reads for your teens?
All of the books in The Way Series focus on high school and the challenges teens can face. The Hard Way focuses on peer pressure and Shawn’s Way focuses on bullying. And, the recently released, The Street’s Way, focuses on Teen Homelessness. Check these options out on the books tab of my author website, Selma’s Books
